


lie in reverse

by MoonlitNightin



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, Family, Fix-It, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Time Travel, Uchiha Itachi Being a Good Brother, Uchiha Sasuke Has Issues, both versions do, but Older!Sasuke is going to fix himself, though it's hard when Younger!Sasuke is so dense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:35:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 35,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25758949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonlitNightin/pseuds/MoonlitNightin
Summary: Twelve-year old Sasuke summons his future self to the past and asks him to train him. He doesn’t expect his older self to refuse, or all the truths that end up coming from his lies.Meanwhile, seventeen-year old Sasuke realizes his younger self is very easy to manipulate, and a few lies of omission might just be what he needs to fix some past mistakes.
Relationships: Uchiha Itachi & Uchiha Sasuke
Comments: 73
Kudos: 506





	1. Chapter 1

Seventeen-year old Uchiha Sasuke woke up feeling like an avalanche was falling on his head, pummeling his body and punching the air from his lungs.

When the wheezing and the pain receded, Sasuke opened his eyes to see a surprised looking twelve-year old boy standing over him wearing a high collar blue t-shirt with a Konoha headband tied around his head. If Sasuke didn’t know any better he could have mistaken the boy for himself at that age. Yet Sasuke did know better, so he whipped out a shuriken and flung it at the imposter’s throat.

To his surprise, the weapon flew wildly off target and struck the wall behind the wide-eyed preteen. It was only then that Sasuke realized he was lying on the floor of a familiar bedroom. Specifically, this was _his_ bedroom within the Uchiha district. The one he hadn’t seen since he abandoned Konoha four years ago.

Sasuke was on his feet in a flash, looming over the boy with his mangekyō sharingan eyes gleaming red and a demand on his tongue when the boy stuttered. “I’m you.”

Sasuke froze, struggling to comprehend the _absurdity_ he’d just heard.

The boy, gaining some confidence from the lack of immediate retaliation, continued in a steadier voice. “I found a scroll containing a time-space jutsu that allows the caster to temporarily summon their future self to the past.” He glowered suddenly, and though a bit of nervousness lingered in his gaze, the burning hatred in his tone overshadowed it. “I brought you here so you could teach me how to kill Itachi.”

Sasuke’s fingers curled into white-knuckled fists at his sides, rage quickly filling his visage, and the imposter, noticing, wisely stepped back.

He was about to whip out his sword and cut down the foolish imposter for daring to bring up his brother’s name when he noticed the black seal on the floor beneath the boy’s feet as well as the identical red seal circling his own black sandals. Steam was rising from the strange symbols and kanji inked on the bedroom floor as if the seal had recently been set ablaze, or _activated_.

Sasuke slowly looked up, and giving the boy a more critical examination, noted the preteen’s paler than normal face and the sweat running down his forehead, both common symptoms of chakra exhaustion.

The younger Uchiha gazed back, almost in a self-conscious manner. Though it was likely just the boy reacting to Sasuke’s killing intent, which Sasuke stopped releasing once he found no deceit lying beneath the boy’s stunned expression.

Still, Sasuke hesitated to believe he had traveled to the past, for he had no memory of ever using a scroll to summon his future self. However, Sasuke had been standing in a cave far from Konoha a minute ago, yet was now definitely inside his old bedroom. The smell of maple and honey wafting through the air, the fragrance of his preferred cleaning products, filled the room exactly like he remembered, and from what he could see through the balcony door appeared to be Konohagakure. So Sasuke had transported, and at the very least, he knew this wasn’t a genjutsu—his sharingan would have seen through one by now.

The Uchiha’s eyes narrowed at his potential—a very tentative _potential—_ younger self as he hissed. “Tell me everything.” He was ready to rip the truth out of the boy’s head if he didn’t reply immediately.

The younger boy seemed more awed than intimidated by the red orbs locked onto him, but quickly got a hold of himself when a warning growl erupted from Sasuke’s throat, and said, “My genin team returned from a mission to the Land of Waves a couple of days ago. While I was there, I found a scroll with the Uchiha clan emblem in a shop, and purchased it on the chance it was authentic.”

Sasuke raked his brain for a memory that corresponded with the boy’s claim and was shocked to find one. It was a vague memory, one he'd forgotten about until now likely because of how inconsequential the event had been. Sasuke had merely been browsing through a weapons shop in Waves since he was running low on shuriken after his team fought Zabuza when he spotted an _uchiwa_ printed on a dusty scroll sitting on a shelf. Back then, Sasuke had been committed to preserving even the tiniest remnant of his clan’s heritage, so he bought the scroll, all the while wondering how an Uchiha relic ended up so far from Konoha.

“I forgot about the scroll until today while I was unpacking,”his younger self continued, gesturing to the deflated backpack shoved in a corner of the room. “And I decided to test it out now, but..." His voice trailed off as he turned aside. "I didn’t actually think it would work...” He again regarded his older self’s mangekyō sharingan before making a poor attempt to mask his curiosity. Had Sasuke truly been so expressive at this age? 

Sasuke brushed away the thought, returning focus to the grainy memory of trying to activate the Uchiha scroll over four years ago. It hadn’t worked, Sasuke was certain of it. He'd followed every instruction, poured nearly all of his chakra into it, and yet the scroll hadn’t so much as sparked once he tried to activate it. Yet, the boy before him was claiming the scroll did work, and all the evidence pointed to him being correct, so was this some sort of alternate timeline or—Wait. Didn’t the scroll say something about needing _two_ eyes to activate...

**_When Eyes turned to the past join Eyes turned to the future, only then can Destiny be made manifest._ **

Sasuke recalled the bolded inscription found beneath the scroll’s instructions and how it had baffled him. Cross-referencing the term "Eyes" with other texts in the Uchiha clan archives helped him understand "Eyes" was alluding to the sharingan, but Sasuke never could figure out what the rest meant. Yet now that the scroll had worked, the beginnings of an explanation were forming in Sasuke's mind, but the _how_ didn't matter. Fact was, the jutsu had worked, meaning this really was the past before he left Konoha, before he fought Naruto, before he killed Itachi—

Sasuke stiffened, the sudden realization nearly bowling him over.

Itachi was alive. _Nii-san_ was alive. Sasuke could save him.

“—you had to have already defeated him by now _.”_ The seventeen-year old refocused just in time to catch his younger self’s expression warping into something almost feral. “So you can teach me how to kill Itachi," the boy's voice darkened with a bitter eagerness, "And I can finally restore my clan.”

Sasuke stared at him, noting the speck of red smoldering in the boy’s irises, his hate so profound it was activating his sharingan, and the _glee_ he was exhibiting at the thought of murdering his beloved brother. The same brother who had suffered and died for Sasuke. Who minutes ago undid the Edo Tensei, sacrificing himself for the good of Konoha once again and leaving Sasuke hollower than ever. Yet here Sasuke was now, _longing_ to save his older brother while his younger self smiled over the idea of committing fratricide.

Sasuke snickered, and his past self started, the vengeful expression being wiped clean from his face as Sasuke threw back his head and laughed. Eyes widening, the twelve-year old watched Sasuke’s laughter rise in volume until he was practically cackling to the heavens.

Sasuke tried to calm himself down, but then he saw how downright disturbed the other Uchiha looked, and Sasuke fell into another fit because his past self was looking at him like he was crazy, but his younger self was just as mad. They both were because they loved their big brother, for even when they'd hated Itachi, they still loved him too.

_“I will love you always.”_

Phantom fingers pressed against Sasuke’s temples, pressing harder and harder until they left their imprint on Sasuke’s skull, and the teenager might have started crying if he didn't suddenly remember Itachi wasn’t dead right now.

His laughter ceased, the abruptness probably only furthering his younger’s self belief in his mental instability, but Sasuke didn’t care because Itachi wasn’t dead. Right now his brother was alive and Sasuke could see him. He could reach out and grab hold of Nii-san, and his skin wouldn’t be cold and waxy like when his brother’s corpse lied on the gurney in Madara’s hideout.

Sasuke never could forget how it felt the first time he saw his brother’s corpse after their final battle, how he pressed his ear against Itachi's chest and prayed to hear a heartbeat that wouldn't come. How he spoke to the body all night long, waiting for Itachi to respond, and when his brother remained silent, Sasuke screamed and screamed and screamed. He was sorry, _so sorry. Please, forgive me, Nii-san!_

He screamed until his throat was hoarse, and in the following silence waited for his brother's forgiveness, for two fingers to reach over and poke his forehead while Itachi's lips flicked up into that kind little smile.

But Nii-san never answered.

“—it’s the truth! This is the past, and I am _you_.” The preteen asserted, the sound of his frustration bringing Sasuke back to the present, though it took him a second to notice the desperation in his younger self's gaze, the boy likely having thought he’d been laughing because he didn’t believe him.

Sasuke cut off the boy‘s next statementas he hissed. “I believe you.” His eyes dimmed from his mangekyō sharingan into their normal ebony tone as a show of good faith.

The younger Uchiha was taken aback a moment, likely puzzled by what else could have caused Sasuke's laughing fit, but quickly recovered. “So you’ll train me—“

“No.”

The boy‘s jaw dropped. “W-what?” He blinked rapidly, disbelief contorting the lines of his face.

Sasuke chose not to explain beyond saying, “I have better things to do.” He glared to let his past self know he meant it. Sasuke couldn’t stay here, not when Itachi needed him, was somewhere out there _suffering_ for Sasuke’s sake.

“What do you mean!?” The smaller boy got into Sasuke’s face, teeth bared and eyes wild. “There’s nothing more important than killing Itach—“

“I’m not asking for your permission.” Sasuke stared down his younger self, then looked towards the balcony. “I’m leaving.”

The boy was too stunned to react as Sasuke brushed past him, pulled open the balcony door and stepped out as he bit his thumb.

"Hey!"

Sasuke ignored his other self, hands flying through several signs before he slammed his palm on the floor. In a poof of smoke his hawk summon appeared, cawing loudly while he stretched out his expansive wings until they blanketed the whole balcony.

His younger self gasped behind him, but Sasuke didn’t turn around while he climbed onto Garuda‘s back and said, "Let's go."

Garuda didn't hesitate to raise his wings and take off into the hazy violet-orange sky.

“Stop! You can’t—“

Sasuke twitched, looking down at himself as he felt a strange tugging sensation around his midsection. His brow furrowed, the teen grunting while the tugging feeling intensified as if there was a rubber band in his gut being stretched too thin.

The teen jerked when the strange force slammed into his stomach like a sucker punch, pushing him back and making one of his feet slide off Garuda. He was trying to regain his balance when the strange pull seemed to wrap around his waist, and with a mighty tug, tore him off the hawk.

Wide-eyed, Sasuke tumbled through the air while his summon screeched in alarm, but even as Garuda dove after him, Sasuke knew it would be too late as the balcony neared at an alarming speed.

Sasuke braced himself moments before he crashed through the balcony's glass door, shattering it and showering the room in glass shards while he hit the floor and rolled straight into his bed.

His spine slammed into the wood, and he choked on a cry, already feeling the bruises forming along his back and the burning scratches where glass pieces bit through his clothes.

He must have blacked out for a moment then because the next time he opened his eyes, he was sprawled out on the floor, his younger self crouched over him with a fearful look as he asked, “A-are you okay?”

Sasuke gingerly felt around his head, and finding no blood on his hand once he pulled away, said, “I'm fine.” He sat up, narrowing his eyes at the broken glass door and his hawk summon who was trilling worriedly behind the preteen. “What was that? What pulled me down?”

An odd mix of concern and irritation flashed across the twelve-year old’s face. “That was what I was trying to tell you.” The irritation ebbed as he looked away nervously. “The scroll said the future and past selves are tethered to each other, which means you can't travel too far away from me or..." He glanced at the shattered balcony door. "You get pulled back."

Sasuke stared at the preteen, then he scowled. “Are there any other conditions I should know of?” He asked through gritted teeth, angered his plan had been so easily thwarted because there was no way he could drag his twelve-year old self out of Konoha and find Itachi without getting the boy killed.

Similar anger flared across the boy’s face. “If you don’t want to train me, I would prefer to send you back but...” He bit the inside of his cheek, looking away petulantly. “The jutsu is supposed to cancel itself after a certain time, I just don't know what exactly that time is...”

Sasuke didn't speak for a second, but soon he growled. “Give me one reason not to punch you.”

The boy looked surprised, yet abruptly turned smug. “The scroll has a built in clause that prevents the future version from harming the past version, a safety measure to protect the time stream.”

Sasuke recalled how his shuriken had flown into the wall when he aimed for the boy's throat, and wariness bloomed in his heart along with vexation. “Okay," he spat. "In that case, we need to inform Kakashi of the situation, see if he can help us with our predicament.” Sasuke got to his feet, shaking off the glass sticking to his clothes and dismissing his hawk summon with a waved hand.

“Why Kakashi?” His preteen self cocked his head, genuinely confused.

Sasuke arched a brow at the boy, like he couldn't comprehend the preteen's stupidity, which made his younger self scowl. “Because he knows more about seals than either of us and I’m pretty sure he would ask questions if you showed up for tomorrow’s practice with an older version of yourself tagging along.”

The preteen blinked, likely having not thought about that, just like he never considered what he would do if his older self refused to train him. Was Sasuke really so single-minded back then? It hurt internally admitting he was _still_ rather single-minded.

“How?”

Sasuke looked up to see the anger was gone from his younger self's face, and dawning horror had replaced it as the boy asked, “How did you get those eyes?”

Sasuke was too stunned by the twelve-year old's boldness to reply, but his silence seemed to be answer enough because the boy's voice wavered with dread. “Did…did you kill your best friend?”

Sasuke considered lying, yet eventually said, “No." He shook his head. "I didn’t kill Naruto.”

The younger’s eyes widened, stunned by his older’s self easy admittance of Naruto being his closest friend, but just as he was feeling relieved, the older boy admitted. “I killed the person I love more than anything.”

Shock and horror seized the Uchiha's body, but already his older self had turned away and was heading out the door. “Let’s go see Kakashi.”

The preteen didn’t move for a second, actions he'd yet to take ravaging his mind because Sasuke was going to kill someone, _murder_ someone all so he could awaken his mangekyō sharingan. For his own personal, selfish gain Sasuke would get close to someone, a person his older self professed to _love_ , and yet he would kill them anyway...

“Come on,” the older urged, mild irritation breaking through his stoic mask, and the boy finally moved, numbly following him into the hall.

While they headed downstairs, the twelve-year old never noticed his future self watching him from the corner of his eye, a faint smirk on his face since the first step of his plan had succeeded.

Because for all that Itachi's lies and Orochimaru's manipulations had guided Sasuke towards vengeance, it had been Madara's _truth_ about the massacre that stirred Sasuke's feelings like no other. So Sasuke was resolved to be honest with his past self, allow the preteen to make his own conclusions, and if some of those conclusions were wrong _..._ Well, it might make it easier to steer the boy off the path of vengeance and set him on the road to reparation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was supposed to be updating my other story, but this idea wouldn't leave me alone 😅 Thankfully this story shouldn't take too long to write, though you all should still expect slow updates. 
> 
> Also, while I've already planned out the rest of the chapters, I'm not against adding or changing things if any of you have good ideas, so feel free to share some in the comment section!


	2. Chapter 2

When Kakashi heard knocking on his door, fairly late into the night, he was both confused and curious. Guy should still be out on an overnight mission, and if it was a message from the Hokage, an ANBU shinobi would be rapping on his bedroom window, not his door.

A second round of knocking began, and Kakashi got the sense whoever it was wouldn't be leaving until he answered, so he slipped on his vest, flicked on the living room light and pulled open the door.

Just to find the last person he expected standing in the hallway with his arms crossed and a sour expression adorning his face.

Kakashi blinked twice. "Sasuke? Wha—"

"I need your help."

It took the man a second to register that Sasuke, his most prideful and independent student, was asking for _help_. Yet once it did, concern pierced his heart like a jagged kunai.

"What's wrong?" The question spilled out faster than Kakashi could think, his eye already scanning over the boy in search of injuries and quickly catching sight of the glass pieces clinging to the Uchiha's clothes. Had the kid broken a window? Did he have a training accident?

Sasuke's expression soured further until he looked like he'd swallowed an entire gallon of lemon juice. "I'm fine," he grunted, annoyance simmering in his gaze.

Before Kakashi could point out the boy looked distinctively _not fine_ , but rather his face was pale and his back was hunched like he was fighting to remain standing, Sasuke said, "I used a time-space jutsu to summon my future self to the past."

Kakashi's mouth shut and eyes widened.

Sasuke waited a moment, but when the jonin stayed silent, he added. "The problem is I don't know how to send my future self back, and he wants to return to his time as soon as possible so he—"

Kakashi raised his hand, and the preteen quieted. After a few seconds, Kakashi slowly asked, "You used a time-space jutsu to summon an older version of yourself, and now this older version of you wants to return to his time… _in the_ _future_?"

The Uchiha nodded as if he hadn't just dropped a _bomb_ on his teacher. Then he looked back over his shoulder, and Kakashi instinctively followed his gaze to the end of the hall right as a teenage boy rounded the corner.

The teen's dark, spiky hair and impassive expression rang a bell in Kakashi's head while his muted chakra signature and silent footsteps spoke of his years as a shinobi. However, it was the boy's unfathomable raven eyes, so alike his older brother's, which sent a jolt of realization through Kakashi.

He didn't want to believe it, wanted to just slam the door close and pretend this was all a strange dream, but soon enough Kakashi had two Uchiha standing before him. One, his genin student, and the other an experienced ninja who was sizing up Kakashi like he was a potential threat, and if that didn't scream _wrong_ , the fact the teen's hand was noticeably resting by his sword handle did.

It took all of Kakashi's strength to swallow down his shock and loosen his stance into something casual while he regarded the two. "I, uh, think we should talk about this inside." He pushed the door open wider and stepped back.

Immediately the teenager strode in, making his younger self abort his own motion to enter before he followed the teen inside.

Kakashi closed the door behind them, trying his hardest to focus on anything but the older Uchiha as he led the pair over to his living room couch. He gestured for them to sit, and Sasuke did, but the older boy hesitated before planting himself next to the preteen, swiftly angling his larger body to cover his younger self from Kakashi's direct line of vision in a manner he probably thought was inconspicuous, and might have been if Kakashi hadn't been watching him so closely.

The jonin moved to the adjacent wall, leaning back on it and crossing his arms. Once again he tried not to focus on the teen, but against his will his gaze fell on the Uchiha.

The teen stared back, eyes narrowing, and the jonin noticed the Uchiha's feet shifting towards the door like he wanted to be able to bolt at any given moment. Kakashi might have labeled this and the boy's general wariness as him merely being out of sorts after being flung back years into the past, but considering the teen's lack of a Konoha headband, a dreadful explanation was forming in the jonin's mind. At least until Kakashi realized the older Uchiha didn't seem nervous like a man hiding something so much as wary _of_ Kakashi.

Sasuke didn't notice his older self glaring at his teacher while he recounted how he'd obtained an old Uchiha scroll in the Land of Waves, and initiated the time-space jutsu at dusk per the scroll's instructions. It made sense considering twilight was when day transitioned into night, therefore the boundaries of time were less stable then. Still, Kakashi was amazed his student had activated what sounded like a high-ranking jutsu and that neither Uchiha was harmed in the process.

Sasuke concluded his summary, and Kakashi was mildly disappointed he couldn't examine the scroll for himself, but apparently it couldn't be read unless the reader had _two_ sharingan eyes. That was probably why it had remained in the Waves shop for so long, as who wanted a scroll they could never hope to read?

The preteen turned to his older self who finally stopped glaring at Kakashi while he started explaining his experience. "The last thing I remember is my sharingan turning on without me calling on it. Then one of my eye's abilities activated, which covered my body in a powerful armor."

Kakashi pondered if that was why Sasuke's future self hadn't been harmed by the time travel. If the armor he spoke of derived from the sharingan and was needed to survive the time-space jutsu, no wonder only those of the Uchiha clan could use that scroll.

"I attempted to turn my sharingan off, but passed out before I could." The teen showed no embarrassment over his falling unconscious, and the teacher inside Kakashi was proud his student had became so skilled at masking his emotions while the shinobi inside him grew uneasy. Because even if this boy was an older version of his student, Kakashi didn't actually know him.

And perhaps the teenager didn't really know Kakashi anymore if his current behavior meant anything.

"When I woke up, my body was sore, but the pain passed quickly." The teenager raised his head. "You know the rest."

The two Uchiha then regarded Kakashi in a mildly disturbing manner considering both of their heads were tilted at exactly the same angle, yet the jonin ignored this as he rubbed his temples and sighed. "Well, I don't even know where to begin."

Sasuke's face wrinkled with displeasure. "You can't help us reverse the seal?"

Kakashi lowered his hand, expression hardening. "No." Both Uchiha tensed at his harsh tone. "I meant I don't know what to address first. The fact you used a high-level jutsu that could have killed you, or the fact you came to see me when you should be at home sleeping off a serious case of chakra exhaustion."

Sasuke's shock quickly morphed into anger and he scowled. "I feel fine," he crossed his arms, "And I wasn't being reckless. I double-checked the seals and made sure my chakra reserves were full befo—"

Kakashi shoved off the wall, and ignoring how the teen grabbed his sword handle at the motion, went to stand over the preteen. "That's not the point, Sasuke." The boy raised his chin defiantly, and Kakashi resisted the urge to shout. "You still used a high-level jutsu without telling anyone what you were planning. If it had backfired—"

"What does it matter?" Sasuke erupted, hand slicing through the air. "Clearly I knew what I was doing." He gestured at his future self as if the older boy was proof of his competence.

Only for the teen to scoff. "No, I don't think you did." Kakashi froze, not expecting Sasuke's future self to agree with him, and neither did Sasuke based on the preteen's slack-jaw expression. "If you did, it wouldn't have taken me all these years to realize the scroll had worked."

Kakashi's brow furrowed, anger draining away. "You didn't know the scroll worked?"

"No, not until now." The teen's expression turned contemplative. "I remember buying the scroll just like my younger self said, but when I poured chakra into it, nothing seemed to happen, my future self never appeared, and I assumed I did something incorrectly. Yet now I think the scroll did activate, but couldn't summon me until today because I was missing something."

He regarded Sasuke. "The scroll has an inscription about Eyes turned to the future joining Eyes turned to the past?" The preteen nodded. "Eyes is a reference to the sharingan, meaning the scroll is talking about _two_ pairs of sharingan joining together and combining, which is what my eyes are now, a combination." He reached up to touch the skin around his black orbs. "That's why the scroll summoned me _today_ , because today is when I started using my new sharingan."

Kakashi struggled to digest this information, but felt a little better about it when he saw Sasuke appeared just as confused. "You mean your mangek—"

"No," the teen shook his head, "A form higher than that."

Sasuke gaped. "There's another form?"

The teenager nodded, but before his younger self could ask, said, "Later." He side-eyed Kakashi. "It's an Uchiha clan secret, not information outsiders should know."

Kakashi raised his hands, waving him down. "You don't have to explain it to me. It doesn't sound like knowing would help me reverse the seal anyway."

Sasuke frowned at him. "So you can't help us?"

Kakashi scratched the back of his neck. "Look, seals aren't my specialty, but I've picked up a few tricks from a couple of seal masters I used to know. If you bring a copy of the scroll's instructions to training tomorrow I can look it over, and depending on how complex the seal is, I might be able to reverse it."

Sasuke looked reassured, but his older self frowned. "You're not sure you can send me back?"

Kakashi picked up on the suspicion lacing the teen's voice, and what exactly had Kakashi done—or _will_ do to warrant such distrust? It wasn't like he would ever betray a comrade unless... His gray eye drifted up to the teen's bare forehead, but Kakashi swiftly put an end to such thoughts, refusing to jump to conclusions.

"No," the jonin admitted. "I can't promise I'll be able to reverse it." He mulled it over. "Though there's someone I could contact who may—"

"Don't bother." The older boy stood, expression frigid. "I know someone familiar with special Uchiha ninjutsu and fūinjutsu. I'll contact them, and see if they can help."

Kakashi's brow rose. "Who—"

"They're on an undercover mission," the teen snapped, a snarl in his voice. "Telling you their name would compromise them."

Kakashi wanted to know when and how the teenager met an undercover Konoha-nin, but saw an opportunity to answer a more important question. "Is that why you're not wearing your headband?" Sasuke swiveled towards his older self, having not noticed the teen's bare forehead. "You're undercover?" Kakashi forced his tone to remain light, though his heart was thumping fast in his chest.

The teen stared back at him, expressionless, but after a second said, "Konoha is at war." Kakashi's eyes widened, lips parting beneath his mask because he hadn't expected _that_. "It's the Fourth Shinobi War, and I've infiltrated one of the enemy's bases. Showing any sign of loyalty to Konoha would be a fast way to get me killed." He wasn't lying, all of it was true to an extent.

The jonin sensed the teen wasn't telling him everything. However, that didn't necessarily mean he was lying. After all, Sasuke had a tendency to spare only the minimum amount of details to explain himself, and it appeared this was still a trait of his.

"Alright," Kakashi stuffed his hands in his pockets, inclining his head. "All the more reason to get you back to your time as soon as possible. Go ahead and contact your ally while you," he looked at the preteen, "Get me a copy of that scroll for tomorrow."

The shorter boy nodded, and the duo began to leave when Kakashi said, "Also Sasuke—" Both boys turned to him and the jonin blinked. "I meant him," he pointed to the younger, and Sasuke came back while the teen continued to the door.

"Make sure you eat something before you go to bed, and get plenty of rest tonight." The preteen scowled, but Kakashi's face grew stern. "I mean it, Sasuke. You're severely chakra exhausted, so unless you want to pass out in front of everyone tomorrow, I suggest you sleep in and show up late for practice."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, yet clearly loathed the idea of appearing weak in front of his teammates, so huffed. "Okay." He tried to leave, but Kakashi caught his shoulder. "What is it now?" He snapped, spinning back.

The jonin didn't immediately reply while he stretched out his chakra and sensed the older Uchiha lingering outside his apartment. Even still, he lowered his voice as he said, "If you ever feel uncomfortable around your future self, you can come to me."

Sasuke jolted, taken aback. "Why would I feel uncomfortable?" He shrugged towards the doorway. "He's me."

Kakashi smiled with his eye, but his voice was tight as he said, "Just remember I'm here if you need me." He decided not to explain, seeing his student hadn't picked up on how _off_ the teen was acting.

Sasuke gave him a strange look, but eventually nodded, and Kakashi let him go, watching as he joined his older self in the hall and marveling at the sight of the two _uchiwa_ on their backs while he shut the door.

For a moment, Kakashi just stood there, an odd sense of dread holding him in place, and it wasn’t long before he realized why.

The entirety of his interaction with Sasuke’s older self bothered him because the teen hadn't been acting merely distrustful of Kakashi, but there had been times where it seemed like the Uchiha was trying to _protect_ his younger self from him, and this made Kakashi's stomach churn. For how badly could he have messed up to make his own student _fear_ him?

* * *

Twelve-year old Sasuke woke up in his bed the next morning, dazed and hungry.

He pushed himself up, fighting through the fog in his brain, and froze upon seeing a large piece of cardboard taped over half his balcony door. Soon though he recalled his older self mentioning he would clean up while Sasuke got some sleep, and glancing around the floor, the preteen saw all the broken glass had indeed been swept away. However, he paused when he spotted his future self lying in a blue futon by the door, eyes shut and chest rising and falling slowly.

Sasuke hadn't expected the teenager to sleep in the same room as him, but quickly realized the older Uchiha probably didn't have a choice, as he couldn't reach the guest room on the other side of the house without their invisible bond dragging him back.

The preteen eyed the other boy for a moment, and determining he really was asleep, pulled down his covers and slipped out of bed. His feet made no sound as he neared the older boy, and he stopped a good foot away before crouching over him.

The teen's hair was a little longer than his, spikier too—though that might have been just bedhead. Also, the dark strands weren't parted into side bangs anymore, but were left to hang freely over his forehead. It kinda reminded Sasuke of his hairstyle as a child. However, the rest of the teen's body was nearly unrecognizable.

His face was slimmer, jawline more pronounced, shoulders broader and body taller. Even his hands were bigger. His future self looked so...so _adult_ , and it was startling to see just how much more growing awaited him.

"I would ask what you're doing."

Sasuke flinched, head snapping up to see the teen's eyes were open and mild annoyance shone through his expression.

"But I already have a good idea."

Sasuke sprang into a stand, stepping back with his cheeks burning as he looked away. He nearly apologized, but realized he'd technically be apologizing to himself and the weirdness of it made him hesitate.

He was still debating what to say, if anything, when his stomach made the decision for him by growling loudly. If Sasuke's face wasn't red before, it certainly was now. Yet as he went to speak, a hand entered his vision.

"Eat these."

Sasuke blinked at the brown pills in the teen's palm, looking up at his future self's blank features in confusion. "What are they?" He accepted the pills, eyeing the bits of red he could see among the dark brown texture—were those chili peppers?

"Food pills," his older self said. "They'll replenish your chakra faster than a regular meal." Recognition sparked in Sasuke's eyes since he'd heard of such pills, although this was his first time seeing them up close. "Eat and get dressed quickly, you're already late for practice."

Sasuke stiffened, turning towards the clock on his nightstand and seeing it was two hours past the time he was supposed to meet his team. It seemed his chakra exhaustion had made him sleep through his alarm.

"And you're going to be even later." Sasuke looked back at him. "I need to buy something."

Without waiting for a response, the teen left the room, presumably to get ready himself. The twelve-year old was slightly miffed by the lack of explanation until he realized he did this to people all the time. Kakashi had even pointed out his habit of not communicating last night, lecturing Sasuke for not telling anyone he was going to use the Uchiha scroll.

A little bothered by how Kakashi might have had a point, Sasuke distracted himself by throwing back one of the food pills. The round pellet crunched under his molars, near tasteless save for a hint of spice from the peppers. He didn't mind the blandness, having always preferred lighter flavors, so easily downed the other two pills while he went to the bathroom in the hall.

He came back out wearing his typical high-collar blue shirt and found his older self waiting for him by the staircase. The teen was dressed in the same clothes as yesterday, except he'd removed that purple rope and the cloth it held up.

Sasuke was glad because the rope thing looked ridiculous. His older self had mentioned his clothes were a part of his disguise while infiltrating the enemy's base during the Shinobi War, but still Sasuke was grateful he wouldn't have to see his older self wearing something so weird.

The teen moved down the stairs without a word and Sasuke followed, wanting to ask where exactly they were going, as well as many other things, but knowing a barrage of questions would only annoy his older self, the preteen settled on the subject that bothered him most.

"Why won't you train me?"

His future self didn't stop while they left the Uchiha district and entered Konoha's main road, but did glance over his shoulder as he said, "I already told you." His eyes narrowed. "There are more important things I could be doing."

Sasuke scowled, irritated by the non-answer. "What's more important?" He demanded. "What could possibly be more important than teaching me how to kill Itachi?"

His voice echoed throughout the street, which would have been embarrassing if the road wasn't empty, as most kids were at school while their parents were working. Though Sasuke noticed a couple of chunin running over the store rooftops, one of them nearly crashing into their teammate after spotting Sasuke and his older self. It was then the boy realized they must be an odd sight considering their similar features and the implications that came with the red and white fans on their backs.

It was common knowledge Sasuke was the last of his clan, so why hadn't the teenager bothered disguising himself to avoid attention? Just what was up with his older self making so many strange decisions?

"I wanted to see someone."

Sasuke almost tripped, surprised his future self was actually answering, but after a minute realized he wasn't going to elaborate. Seriously, Sasuke had no idea talking to himself was _this_ hard.

Still, he refused to let his question go unanswered, so employed a new tactic. "You wouldn't have summoned that hawk unless you were traveling somewhere far." Sasuke smirked when his older self tensed. "So this person must live outside of Konoha." His brow drew together. "But I don't really know anyone outside of the Village except Nekobaa and her granddaughter, so who could..." Sasuke stopped, eyes widening. "Unless you were going after Itach—"

The teen whipped back, locking Sasuke in place with the depth of fury burning in his raven orbs. " _Yes_. I was going after Itachi," he gritted out, "But I can't do that anymore thanks to you."

It took Sasuke a second to recover from his shock, yet once he did, he glared. "It's not my fault. If you had just explained we could have—"

"Could have what?" The teen leaned into his face, expression of anger more passionate than any other emotion Sasuke had seen on him up until now. "We could have found Itachi together?" He scoffed, leaning back. "As if you'd last a minute against him." Sasuke tried to protest, but his older self sneered. "You know I'm right."

The preteen flinched while his future self loomed over him. "You've known it ever since you fought Zabuza, that there's so many ninja stronger than you, who could kill you so _easily_ ," he hissed, staring down Sasuke as if he were a worm.

And the preteen couldn't refute him because the older boy was right. The Waves mission had been a brutal wake-up call that despite how much time and effort he put into training over the years, Sasuke still wasn't strong enough. He didn't have the power to beat Zabuza on his own, protect himself from Haku, or kill _that_ _man_.

 _"You are not worth killing_ … _foolish otouto."_

Sasuke's breathing quickened, chest heaving and lungs burning as the memory of Itachi's words pierced his brain. He stared hard at the ground, struggling to reorient himself in the present, and when he looked back up the teenager was no longer sneering, but frowning. Instantly Sasuke realized his future self knew exactly what Sasuke had been thinking about, and it was mortifying yet kind of nice having someone who understood.

The teen stepped back, giving him some space. "Just wait here, the store isn't far."

The teen strode ahead, turning right into a wooden shop on the street corner, one Sasuke vaguely recognized, and eager to move on from his emotional outburst he squinted at the store sign to figure out why.

Just for his jaw to fall open because his future self was buying _dango_!?

Not only was this a drastic change from Sasuke's typical palate, but Sasuke remembered Itachi having a sweet-tooth. That was why he'd avoided most candy stores over the years, not wanting any reminders. Clearly though, his older self was over such things, which must mean the memories no longer bothered him.

Sasuke perked up. He'd always hoped defeating Itachi would make all the painful memories go away. Now seeing his future self proved this was true… Except his future self didn't seem very happy.

The Uchiha frowned, but couldn't ponder it further as his older self exited the dango shop, a light green bag in his hand while he approached, saying, "Let's go."

Sasuke cocked his head. "Why did you buy dango?"

The teen eyed him irritatedly. "I don't remember being so pestering at this age."

Sasuke recoiled like he'd been struck, having been basically called annoying _by himself_ , while the teen walked around him and headed towards the training grounds. Sasuke scowled after him, feeling the childish urge to simply stand there until the older boy was dragged back by their invisible connection. However, that would only be proving him right, so Sasuke hurried and caught up with him.

After a few minutes they arrived on a grassy field edged by a small forest. His older self fell back, likely not remembering where exactly he met with his team on this particular day, so Sasuke took the lead as they delved into the woods.

The teen didn't make a sound while they traversed the dirt path, and Sasuke resisted checking if he was still there, though it was nice knowing in a few years he would have stealth skills to rival Kakashi's.

"What if he's too tired to cook?" Sakura's voice interrupted his thoughts, resounding from the forest clearing ahead, although Sasuke couldn't see her past the thicket. "He could go hungry!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Naruto's high-pitched voice joined in. "We have to make sure Sasuke is okay!"

Kakashi's hands were raised in a placating manner above his two genin students when Sasuke entered the clearing, and neither one noticed as he approached and stopped behind them.

The jonin's gray eye flicked up to meet the Uchiha's gaze before he lowered his hands and said, "I don't think that will be necessary. He—"

"But shouldn't we make sure he's alright?" Sakura asked, pink dusting over her cheeks as she twirled the end of her hair nervously. "I mean, if he's too exhausted to move then I could feed him—"

"And I could carry him everywhere!" Naruto leapt into the jonin's personal space, making Kakashi lean back. "Then he'll be the one who owes me big time!" The blond's eyes sparkled while he pictured his rival lying pathetically in bed and finally admitting Naruto was the superior ninja.

Only for the fantasy to fall apart when Sasuke scoffed. "Like I would ever need your help, _dobe_."

Naruto yelped and Sakura shrieked, both spinning around to see the subject of their conversation was glaring at them.

"A-ah, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura's face was as red as her dress. "You're okay!"

"Hey!" Naruto stomped up to him, making Sasuke glower as he waved his finger in his face. "What are you doing sneaking up on us like that!?"

Sasuke crossed his arms. "I wasn't trying to sneak up on you." He smiled smugly. "You were just too busy running your mouth to notice me."

Rage darkened Naruto's face and he looked ready to retort when suddenly his eyes grew big, mouth falling open and arm going limp while Sakura appeared similarly stunned behind him.

The Uchiha was confused until he remembered who was with him, and he turned back to see his older self standing partially in the shade of trees before fully stepping into the sunlit clearing.

Sasuke frowned at the expression on the teen's face, the older Uchiha's lips pressing into a thin line and eyes kindling with an emotion Sasuke couldn't identify. Anger, pain, shock, and uncertainty filtered across his features so fast Sasuke was probably the only one who saw them before his older self schooled his expression.

"He..." Naruto choked, grabbing at his hair. "HE'S REAL!" He swiveled towards Kakashi. "I thought you were making him up!"

Sakura continued gawking, green eyes locked on the older Uchiha while her skin lost two shades of color. Sasuke was mildly concerned she might faint, especially since she didn't seem to be breathing, but suddenly the kunoichi twisted around and punched Naruto in the jaw, sending him flying back into a tree.

"Baka!" Sakura shook her fist at Naruto as he slid down the bark with a groan. "You made me think Kakashi-sensei was making it up when he said Sasuke got chakra exhaustion from summoning his future self!" She grabbed the blond by the collar, ready to throttle him some more until the teen walked past her, making her look up.

"Here's a copy of the scroll." The older boy handed a couple of papers to the jonin, and Sasuke realized he had forgotten to make a copy for his teacher.

"This..." Kakashi scanned over the seal, eye widening. "Is going to require some serious studying." He slumped, muttering about all the library trips he was going to have to make.

The teen payed him no mind as he tucked the dango bag under his arm, bit his thumb, and rushed through five hand seals before pressing his palm on the ground. In a poof of smoke the same hawk summon from yesterday appeared with a gray message bag now strapped to its back.

Sakura released Naruto in her shock, but the blond hardly noticed as he too gaped at the bird. "W-what is that!?" Naruto screeched while the teen slipped the dango into the message bag, then stood back as the bird batted its wings before shooting up into the sky.

They all watched the summon fly over the treetops, quickly fading into the distance, and Sasuke figured his older self was using the hawk to send a message to the Uchiha ninjutsu expert he'd mentioned. Though why did he also send dango?

"Well," Kakashi gathered their attention. "Now that Sasuke is here we can finish up—"

"Wait!" Naruto waved wildly at the teen who was still staring after the hawk. "Shouldn't we talk about this!?"

Kakashi sighed as he tucked the scroll copy in his vest. "There's not much to discuss beyond what I already told you." He gestured at the teen. "He's Sasuke from the future, and he might be here a while. That's all you really need to know."

"But..." Naruto stared at the older Uchiha, examining him up and down suspiciously while the teen stared back without emotion. "He can't be Sasuke's future self! He looks—" Naruto struggled to think of adjectives besides "cool" and "tough" because there was no way he was complimenting any version of his rival!

"Too tall!" Naruto decided, crossing his arms in a huff.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "That's what happens when people grow—"

"Right, Sakura?" The blond turned to the kunoichi for support. "This guy looks too tall to be Sasuke's future self!"

"Oh," the girl started. "He looks..." She eyed the teenager, red slowly creeping across her face. "L-looks..."

Sasuke grimaced at the adoring expression that came over her, recognizing it was the same one she always gave him while the teen sent him a look like he was blaming Sasuke for her antics.

"Regardless of what you think, Naruto." Kakashi cut in, saving Sakura from a fangirl meltdown. "We need to finish up training."

Naruto humphed, clearly upset he was being dismissed, and Kakashi turned back to Sasuke. "Naruto and Sakura have already sparred against each other, so if you're feeling up to it, you can spar with either one."

Sasuke nodded and Naruto's hand shot up. "Ooh, ooh, Kaka-sensei! Can I spar with Uchiha-san?"

Sasuke blinked, for a second thinking Naruto was talking about him until Kakashi explained. "I told them to call your future self that to avoid confusion." He looked to the teen. "Hope you don't mind."

"Hn." The older boy didn't seem to care either way, though there was a thoughtful look on his face as he regarded Naruto.

"And no," Kakashi told the blond, "You can't spar with him. This is teamwork training, and technically Uchiha-san isn't a part of this team."

Naruto deflated, but suddenly the teen walked over to him. The boy was surprised, yet quickly raised his fists like he was expecting a fight, only for the teenager to bend over and whisper something in his ear.

Naruto dropped his hands, appearing stunned, though soon a wide grin split his face and he nodded. "Uh-huh, uh-huh!" He agreed until the older boy straightened up and moved back towards Sasuke.

"Wow, thanks, Uchiha-san!" Naruto beamed as the teen folded his arms and leaned back against a tree.

Sasuke eyed his other self, baffled, but the teen ignored him while Naruto raised his fist at the younger Uchiha. "Let's spar, teme! I bet I can beat you this time!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his future self, yet the teen gazed back impassively, and it was kind of disturbing how Sasuke couldn't read a face so similar to his own.

"Do you want to spar against Naruto?" Kakashi asked while Sakura started preemptively cheering Sasuke on, telling him to beat Naruto up, much to the blond's dismay.

Sasuke glanced at his older self once more, but soon nodded. "Sure." He smirked. "It's not like the dobe can beat me."

Naruto bared his teeth, grinning challengingly. "Yes, I can, believe it!"

"Okay," Kakashi backed out of the clearing, as did Sakura, though the teen didn't move. "The same rules as usual, you can use ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, and any tools you have. Match ends when you either forfeit or get pinned."

Naruto and Sasuke moved to opposite sides of the clearing, though the Uchiha paused when he noticed the corner of his older self's lips angling up as he passed him. However, he shook it off when Kakashi announced. "Start... _now_."

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto predictably began, holding up the seal while three of his clones burst into existence. However, Sasuke was surprised when the clones pulled out smoke bombs instead of rushing him and tossed them down.

The Uchiha raised his arms in preparation to defend himself, but didn't do more as he waited to see what the idiot was planning while smoke flooded Naruto's side of the clearing, concealing the blond from sight.

It was looking like this match might be interesting until Naruto ran out of the smoke with a battle cry and launched himself at him.

Sasuke easily side-stepped the Uzumaki and chopped him in the back, sending him sprawling to the floor where he popped. Another two Narutos ran out of the thinning cloud of smoke, hands raised to strike, but Sasuke merely caught the first Naruto's fist and used it to toss him over his back. He heard the clone pop behind him while he roundhouse kicked the third clone in the face, instantly destroying him.

The Uchiha then looked up to see all the smoke had dissipated, leaving Naruto standing in the clearing with a smoke bomb in each hand. Though Sasuke was shocked when Naruto launched both bombs at him before sprinting towards him. Even Sakura seemed confused, her voice dying off mid-cheer, but Sasuke recovered quickly and rapidly formed six hand signs.

_"Katon: Great Fireball Justu!"_

Sasuke spat a stream of fire up towards the smoke bombs, not wanting to be blinded by them.

Only for the bombs to pop before the scarlet flames could touch them, and in a puff of smoke, reveal themselves to be henged Naruto clones.

Sasuke was too stunned to move as one of the Narutos latched onto his his fellow clone and flung him at Sasuke before taking the full brunt of Sasuke's flames.

The Uchiha then realized what was happening and ended the jutsu, twisting away. Yet the Naruto clone still crashed into his shoulder, knocking Sasuke to the ground so hard he got a face full of dirt while the clone was destroyed by the collision.

Sasuke quickly picked himself up, lurching onto his knees, but stilled, feeling the sharp metal of a kunai on the back of his neck. He looked over his shoulder to see the real Naruto smiling from ear to ear. "Got ya!"

The Uchiha's jaw clenched, teeth grinding hard while Kakashi came over and Naruto lowered the kunai, saying, "Looks like Naruto won."

The blond whooped. "Yes!" He turned to Sakura who was still standing in the shade outside the clearing, frozen in shock. "Did ya see that? Did ya see that, Sakura-chan? I won!"

Sasuke couldn't hear anything after that, red saturating his vision. His heart throbbed within his chest, racing faster than it had during the match because he'd lost. He lost to the deadlast.

A hand tried to help him up, yet Sasuke slapped it away with a snarl, standing with clenched fists and dirt staining his hands and knees. The blond idiot grinned at him, a taunt spilling from his lips, but Sasuke couldn't hear anything except the blood rushing to his head. He'd lost. Sasuke had lost _again_ , and it felt like all he ever did was lose these days. Against Naruto, against Haku, he just couldn't stop _losing_.

"Though I suspect you didn't think of that plan on your own." Kakashi side-eyed his older self and Sasuke swiveled towards him, noting the cruel amusement curling the teen's lips.

"You..." Sasuke hissed, marching up to the teen who quickly masked his expression. "You helped Naruto... _why_?" His voice shook, rage boiling in the back of his throat.

"Because," the teen smirked, leaning down, "You never gave me a reason not to punch you."

It took Sasuke a second to figure out what the teen was referencing, but once he did, the haze of anger thickened around him until he was choking on it.

Then with a guttural scream, Sasuke lunged at the teen.

* * *

The teenage Uchiha didn't expect seeing Kakashi again would hit him so hard. He didn't anticipate how _loud_ it would make his last memory of the jonin.

_"Don't be consumed by your revenge!"_

Acidic giggles spouted out of Sasuke's mouth, every blink like running a white-hot needle through his mangekyō sharingan eyes while the blurry image of his ex-sensei ran at him across the water with the intent to kill.

_"I'm itching to kill you, Kakashi!"_

Sasuke found himself watching Kakashi in his apartment, waiting for the jonin to stop pretending he cared. It had to be an act, because if Kakashi ever really cared then why did he try to kill Sasuke? Why did he choose the Village over _him_? It had to be a lie, Kakashi was just another liar like everyone else in this cursed Leaf Village.

Kakashi never cared, like Sakura never loved him and Naruto had never been anything more than an obstacle in the way of his revenge.

Still, it made Sasuke's chest ache to see his former teammates standing in the clearing.

They looked young. Even Sakura, the oldest of them at thirteen, looked like a child playing dress-up in ninja gear, and Naruto with his sparkling blue eyes and that ridiculous orange jumpsuit looked so small beneath his Konoha headband.

Sasuke didn't remember Team 7 looking like this. Didn't remember that Sakura's eyes used to shine like jade caught in the sunlight whenever she saw him—instead of filling with tears, face twisted with agony.

Or that Naruto used to be so desperately eager to cling to anyone who would so much as glance at him—instead of standing confidently in Sasuke's path, matching his lightning with a windstorm.

Then there was Sasuke's younger self, an angry boy acting like he was an adult when it was so obvious he had no idea what it truly meant to be grown. Sasuke hated them, hated all of them for acting so young and innocent. Though he hated his younger self most.

How dare the Uchiha child look at him with those wide, haunted eyes as the memory of that night screeched through his brain after the teen unintentionally reminded him of it.

Sasuke had wanted to scream then that Itachi was innocent, it was the Village's fault their family was gone, and Nii-san _loved_ him. Yet the teenager knew his younger self would never believe him if he just told him the truth. His hatred was too deeply-rooted, and the younger boy would only believe Itachi had been manipulated into killing their clan if Sasuke showed him undeniable proof.

And that was exactly what Sasuke was going to do.

Though that would have to wait since Sasuke's younger self was currently throwing a fit and lunging at him like some feral animal.

The teen didn't bother moving, merely watching as Kakashi caught the preteen Uchiha by the collar and lugged him back.

"Get off of me!" The boy screamed without looking at the jonin, his sharingan eyes boring into his older self.

"Calm down." Kakashi ordered sternly. "Uchiha-san didn't do anything wrong, and neither did Naruto." Sasuke wrenched out of his hold, and Kakashi let him, though he eyed the preteen warily. "Both of you were free to use whatever resources you had, including other people, and that's all Naruto did."

"Yeah, don't be such a sore lose—"

Kakashi sent Naruto a sharp look and the blond instantly quieted while the younger Uchiha clenched his hands, body trembling with rage. They all watched him, waiting for him to lose control again, when suddenly he stilled. After a moment, the preteen exhaled harshly, hands unclenching slowly.

Another beat passed before the dark-haired boy raised his head to reveal ordinary ebony eyes. "Whatever," he scoffed. Then he stomped out of the clearing, ignoring Sakura and Naruto's calls to return. Sasuke told himself he didn't care what they had to say since they were the reason he was so weak, the two always holding him back.

"Running away again?"

Sasuke froze.

_"Run, run, and cling to your pitiful life."_

The preteen blinked away the memory, turning towards the taller Uchiha behind him on the forest path and scowling. "What's your problem?" he snapped.

"My problem?" The older teen cocked his head, eyes alight with something dangerous. "Hm, I'm not sure, but it probably has something to do with being dragged back in time against my will." He glared.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "What do you want? An apology?"

"A seal sending me back to my time would be preferred." The teen deadpanned and Sasuke shook his head, unwilling to respond to the jibe.

Mercifully his older self didn't speak again as they left the training field and entered the Village's main road. Sasuke was content to ignore his future self until they got home, but when he noticed the teen falling behind, he turned to him.

The older Uchiha was glancing at his surroundings with a small frown on his face, eyes tracking up buildings and lingering on the occasional housewife or shopkeeper sweeping up the front of their property.

Sasuke spoke without thinking. "You haven't seen the Village for a while...have you?"

The twelve-year old anticipated another snarky remark, but the teen simply nodded. "No, not for some time."

There was a solemness to his voice while he spoke, but when Sasuke started to ask just how long he'd been on that infiltration assignment, his older self stiffened and spun back. He grabbed Sasuke by the elbow faster than he could see and pulled him behind him, making the preteen stagger.

"Hey—"

"Well, it appears the rumors had some truth to them after all."

The youngest Uchiha blinked, recognizing the speaker's voice, and looked around his future self to see the Hokage standing in the empty street, smiling genially, though his eyes were sharp as they analyzed the older Uchiha.

"Ever since last night I've had shinobi bursting into my office claiming everything from Uchiha Itachi had returned to the Village," the teen's grip tightened on Sasuke's arm, making him wince, "To Uchiha Sasuke found a secret twin in the Land of Waves and brought him back to Konoha."

The old man chuckled briefly. "But neither of those are quite true, hm, Sasuke?" He stared directly at the teenager, leaving no doubt to who he was addressing.

And Sasuke watched a terse smile spread over the teen's face, and knew something was wrong before the teen quietly asked, "You want to talk about truth, Sarutobi?"

The Third Hokage narrowed his eyes at the disrespectful address and Sasuke balked at it, but suddenly the teen was letting him go while the scent of ozone and the sound of a thousand chittering birds filled the air as white-blue lightning sparked to life in his future self's hand.

Sasuke gawked while the teen hissed. "Then let's talk," his eyes bled into his eternal mangekyō sharingan and the Hokage's eyes widened, "About what really happened that night."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I'm going to assume based on getting over a 100 kudos on the first chapter I'm not the only one dying to see more teenage Sasuke meet preteen Sasuke time travel stories... 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for all the lovely comments and support you gave the last chapter! Also, thanks for being patient, I know how hard it can be to wait for an update, and this cliff-hanger probably isn't going to help with that... 😅
> 
> Next time: Older!Sasuke confronts the Hokage while Younger!Sasuke learns a startling truth and deals with the ramifications...


	3. Chapter 3

Sasuke wasn't expecting the Hokage to show up for at least another day. Although he'd purposely steered his younger self through the more populated route to reach Kakashi's place last night and done the same thing this morning.

Still, Sasuke would have brought his sword with him if he'd known word of his presence had already reached Konoha's higher-ups.

Though Chidori would work just as well.

"Don't move!"

The teen was unsurprised when five ANBU dropped from the air to surround him, two taking a defensive stance in front of the Hokage.

"Cancel your jutsu now!" The ANBU directly in front of Sasuke ordered, raising his kunai while the purple-haired ANBU beside him held up her katana.

Sasuke's younger self gasped, but the teen ignored him as he sent a sharp smile to the Sandaime over his guards.

"What's wrong, Hokage?" The title dripped off Sasuke's tongue like venom, his teeth peeking through his grin. "I thought you wanted to talk about what you and your council did to my clan." His smile dropped, voice scalding. "Or in your case, what you _failed_ to do."

The Hokage's eyes had only grown bigger with Sasuke's every word and the Uchiha relished in the aghast expression on his face. Did the old man really think Sasuke would never learn the truth?

Maybe not since his cowardly councilors would never indict themselves and Itachi would literally rather die than ruin the Village's reputation.

Unfortunately for them, Sasuke was not his brother.

"You know..." The Hokage whispered, hardly audible over the lightning crackling in Sasuke's hand. "How much do you—"

"Everything," Sasuke hissed, making the ANBU around him tense, and perhaps thinking Sasuke was distracted, one of the ninja made a bold attempt to grab his younger self.

Whether it was to harm or get him out of the way, Sasuke didn't care as he dispersed the lightning from his palm to flare out around himself and the preteen. "Don't touch us!" He demanded, his mangekyō sharingan eyes sliding from one ANBU to the next in warning while the lightning cast scar-shaped shadows across his face.

"Leave us."

A hush swept over the masked shinobi, their shock palpable in their silence while the ANBU in front of Sasuke looked back over his shoulder to his charge. "Hokage-sama?"

"Leave us," the Sarutobi repeated, his gaze on Sasuke and expression unreadable.

The teen grinned almost manically. "Why send them away?" He asked in a mocking tone as the lightning retracted back to his hand. "Don't you want everyone to know how the Hokage helped slaughter my clan?"

The ANBU stiffened, the woman with the katana outright flinching while his younger self inhaled sharply before in a quiet voice he asked, "What?"

Sasuke again ignored him as the skin around the Hokage's eyes tightened and he sighed. "All of you must leave and clear the area, make sure no one can access this street until I tell you it's safe." His voice was sure and unwavering, and something about his confidence enraged Sasuke.

"That's assuming I let you live," the teen hissed, further conflicting the masked ninja around him.

However, the Hokage finally took his eyes off of him to send a flinty stare at his guards. "Leave right now or I will consider you a traitor to this Village."

Sasuke almost laughed at the threat while the ANBU withdrew some paces, a few glancing at the lightning in Sasuke's palm before reluctantly lowering their weapons and eventually leaping away.

"Traitor?" Sasuke scoffed once they were gone, reining in a sardonic giggle as the Hokage regarded him with a pained expression. "Is that what you call everyone who would sacrifice themselves to protect your precious village?" The memory of Itachi's tears that night slammed into his head because Konoha had put those tears in Itachi's eyes, placed tears in Sasuke's eyes too and stained the floorboards red with his parents' blood.

"Sasuke—"

"Of course it is!" The Uchiha's shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. "Just like when Shisui was willing to betray his own clan to protect Konoha, how did you reward him? You let Danzō tear the sharingan right out of his head!"

The Hokage's face warped with stunned horror. "What?"

Sasuke sneered. "But of course you couldn't have predicted Danzō was going to attack Shisui, it's not like he was known for distrusting Uchiha."

The Sandaime's mouth moved, but no speech came out while Sasuke mercilessly continued. "And I doubt Danzō got those sharingan eyes implanted in his right arm—" The Hokage turned stark white. "By asking nicely for them," he spat, his chest heaving and heart pumping fast enough to burst.

The Hokage seemed no better, appearing to have aged twenty years in the past minute. Yet Sasuke felt no sympathy since this man was more responsible for his brother's suffering than most, perhaps Danzō's equal in that regard, because the Hokage had known Shisui was undertaking a dangerous task yet allowed the teen to run off without lending him any support. He'd also known Danzō distrusted the Uchiha to an irrational degree yet listened to his advice on the Uchiha coup anyway.

But worst of all, the old man let his brother bear the full blame for that night, allowed Sasuke to cultivate hate for the one person who still loved him, and that Sasuke could _not_ forgive.

"I..." The Hokage struggled to speak, eyes full of sorrow and voice tremulous. "I didn't intend to—"

"I don't _care_ ," Sasuke enunciated every word, heart full of loathing and sharingan eyes whirling furiously with the desire to unleash Amaterasu and watch the old man burn, watch the whole Village burn until their mocking laughs turned into screams of pain!

The Hokage sighed, bringing Sasuke out of his head to see the man's imploring expression as he asked, "What do you want, if not an apology?"

A torrent of words instantly welled in Sasuke's throat.

_"Itachi, my father, my mother, even my clan! Give them back to me!"_

Sasuke wanted to scream it out loud for the whole world to hear, but instead fixed his dark gaze on the Sandaime and hissed. "I want vengeance."

The Hokage didn't look surprised, undoubtedly having heard his younger self say something similar before, but Sasuke wasn't talking about revenge against Itachi.

"I want the Konoha council members who helped Itachi slaughter my clan to be removed from their positions." The teen smirked. "And I want them banished from Konoha just like he was."

The Hokage's brow rose, but he didn't refuse, perhaps not expecting such a reasonable request.

Sasuke's smirk turned cruel. "And I want Danzō executed."

The Hokage looked like he was going to protest, but Sasuke's expression iced over. "Is it not Konoha law for a Kekkei Genkai thief, especially a repeat offender, to be executed?"

The Hokage's mouth shut, brow furrowing, and after a moment he acquiesced. "Yes," he frowned, "But I cannot arrest a man and have him executed merely on your word—"

"You don't have to believe me," Sasuke glared, his eyes pulsating with the desire to call down fire and lightning and destruction on the man. "But you should believe this."

The Hokage stared evenly at Sasuke, though he avoided looking directly into his eternal mangekyō sharingan. "I am going to get vengeance for my clan regardless of what you do," the lightning fizzled to nothing in his palm, "So if my demands aren't met by the time the Chunin Exam ends, I will execute judgment myself." His features darkened. "Even if I have to raze the entire village to do it."

The Hokage's face crumpled with the weight of a thousand regrets. "Sasuke—"

"The only reason I'm letting you live is because you don't have much time left anyway."

The Hokage startled, wide-eyed, while Sasuke gazed impassively at him. "But if you want to hasten your death, just send your ANBU agents after me." The teen's mangekyō sharingan eyes narrowed threateningly. "If they, Danzō, or any of his ROOT members come near me or my younger self I will attack, and against these eyes," he bared his teeth, "You won't win."

Sasuke turned from the pitiful old man, red orbs fading to black as he walked away. He paused only to catch the trembling, pale preteen's wrist and pull him along behind him.

"I am truly sorry, Sasuke."

The teenager didn't acknowledge the man's words, but his younger self stopped to gaze wide, stricken eyes at the Hokage until Sasuke tugged him ahead and the boy stumbled after him. Sasuke continued leading the distressed preteen until they made it back to the house. Then the older Uchiha left the boy in the living room and went back outside.

Sasuke ignored the empty pond as he walked the house's perimeter, recalling how the koi fish had died years ago when he failed to properly care for them. Their deaths devastated him as a child, making Sasuke wonder if he was doomed to have everything around him die.

The teen brushed the memory away while he rounded the house corner and stopped in the yard. Four target boards had been set up against the pale concrete wall circling the home, so Sasuke summoned four shuriken and flung them at the targets' centers.

They each struck the boards hard enough to crack the wood while their metal tips pierced the wall behind them.

It was easy, _too_ easy, so Sasuke threw more shuriken at the targets until the boards snapped in half and fell to pieces on the grass below. Sasuke pictured the Hokage and his councilors' faces on the wooden remains as his hands rushed through six signs and he blew a stream of fire towards the pieces until nothing but cinders was left.

It wasn't enough to satisfy Sasuke's rage, but it took the edge off of it, and with his remaining anger-fueled energy, Sasuke got to work setting up traps around the house. He deftly buried paper bombs by the Uchiha district entrance and planted wire traps on the roofs of nearby houses.

Sasuke didn't think the Hokage was foolish enough to send ANBU after him, but Danzō very likely wouldn't heed his threat and would seek every opportunity to kill him. As much as Sasuke would enjoy slaying the man again, being tied to his younger self would slow him down in a fight, and if Danzō aimed for the preteen, the weak genin wouldn't stand a chance, so Sasuke needed to take precautions.

It was nearly two hours later while Sasuke was tying off a wire trap that his younger self came out the front of the house and stopped behind him. The teen made sure the wire was secure before rising from his crouch and turning to the preteen.

The boy looked like he'd just woken up from a nightmare, face pale and gaunt, but in reality he'd simply woken up from the lies Konoha fed him in their attempt to make him a loyal Leaf ninja.

Sasuke inwardly scoffed. Where was loyalty when the council coerced his brother to murder his clan and family? To do something that went against his kind nature, and then let the pacifist teen join a group of criminals so he could be forced to murder and slaughter even more.

Bile crawled up Sasuke's throat like lava, so revolted was he by everything his brother had gone through for a Village that loathed the Uchiha name.

"Is it true?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes while the preteen stuttered. "Did the Hokage really..." His younger self couldn't finish as a tremor ran down his spine.

Sasuke crossed his arms. "He all but admitted he did."

The preteen seemed to shrink at that, head bowing not fast enough to hide his devastated expression.

A full minute passed before the boy lifted his chin, and Sasuke smirked at the wrath twisting the boy's features. "If the Hokage and his councilors really helped Itachi kill the clan," the preteen's fists clenched, eyes burning, "They deserve to die."

Suddenly the boy frowned. "But you told the Hokage you'd destroy all of Konoha to get vengeance." Uncertainty filtered across his features, hands uncurling. "You didn't mean it—"

"I meant every word," Sasuke glared, and his younger self flinched.

"But there are civilians—"

"And there were civilian Uchiha slaughtered that night." Sasuke's expression was impassive while his younger self looked disturbed.

"But they didn't do anything." The preteen shook his head, staring up at the teen in confusion. "Some of them weren't even born yet when the clan wa—"

Sasuke moved directly in front of his younger self faster than the twelve-year old could perceive based on how his younger self reared back into the house door, looking up in shock.

"Do you or do you not want to avenge our family?" Sasuke stared down the boy, and his younger self peered up at him with wide eyes.

"Of course I do, but—"

"This is no different from you wanting to kill Itachi."

The preteen shook his head, eyes squeezing shut, and with gritted teeth he shouted. "Yes, it is!" His eyes opened in a glare. "If you destroy the Village you'd be hurting innocent people, you...you would..." Horror drenched his face. "You would kill our team!"

Sasuke's expression didn't change.

His younger self looked sick before suddenly he tried shoving the older boy away, but the teen stepped back so he couldn't.

"You would kill them, wouldn't you!?" The preteen demanded, flexing his hands like he was prepping to fight.

Sasuke considered the possibility, but eventually shook his head. "There's no reason to unless they get in my way."

The preteen wasn't appeased. "You really think they would just stand back and let you destroy their home?"

"Home?" Sasuke raised a brow. "You've seen the way people treat Naruto," the boy's face flashed with uncertainty, "I'd be doing him a favor by destroying this place."

The preteen's gaze dropped to the ground, his voice lowering as he asked, "And Sakura? What about her home? Her parents?"

Sasuke glowered. "Why are you trying so hard to protect Konoha?" The preteen's head snapped up, looking lost and unsure while Sasuke seethed. "This Village murdered our parents and made it seem like it had been all Itachi's idea, but the truth is," his voice echoed through the air, "Itachi never would have killed them if the council hadn't given him the idea!"

Devastation wracked the boy's frame while Sasuke shouted. "So if this Village caused their deaths, it doesn't deserve mercy!"

The preteen stared at him, terror in his eyes, and Sasuke scowled. "Don't look at me like that," his younger self turned away guiltily, "Like I'm some monster, because guess what."

The younger Uchiha raised his face reluctantly while Sasuke looked him in the eyes. "I am you," the preteen flinched, but didn't turn away, "So if you don't like what you see, then know this." His voice dropped into a coarse whisper. "I'm just a product of the choices _you_ made."

The preteen made a strangled sound, and with his chest heaving, spun on his heels and ran inside the house. Yet the older Uchiha didn't regret what he'd said because whether his younger self wanted to admit it or not, they were the same, and eventually the boy would share his hatred of Konoha.

Sasuke angled his head up towards the blue sky and closed his eyes. Soon his younger self would be ready for the whole truth, then together they would burn Konoha to the ground, and upon its ashes they'd build a new Village.

 _Soon, Nii-san, soon._ Sasuke promised.

* * *

Sasuke's younger self avoided him for the rest of the night, pretending to be asleep while Sasuke measured the balcony door since they needed to get it replaced and not looking him in the eyes during breakfast. He merely nodded when Sasuke explained where he placed the traps so his younger self wouldn't inadvertently spring them, but it was obvious the preteen was trying to pretend Sasuke didn't exist.

Hn, how childish.

At first it was annoying being ignored, but by the time they reached the bridge it was becoming concerning since the preteen all but fled from him to join his teammates, something which didn't go unnoticed by Kakashi.

The man's lone gray eye glided lazily from one Uchiha to the next, but Sasuke knew the jonin was probably analyzing their interaction intently as Naruto split from his team to run up to Sasuke, bright-eyed and smiling. "Good morning, Uchiha-nii-chan!"

Sasuke started, eyes widening, and his younger self looked equally stunned while Sakura gaped.

Though the teen quickly shook off his shock to glare at the blond. "Don't call me that."

Naruto's face fell, head tilting in confusion. "But you helped me yesterday—"

"Just don't." Sasuke crossed his arms, hoping his annoyance covered up his fluster at being addressed so respectfully and intimately by any version of Naruto.

"Oh...okay." The blond frowned at being denied from calling the nicer Sasuke—as he saw it—by a more informal term, but soon he brightened. "Then how about Uchiha-sensei?"

Kakashi sent Naruto an affronted look, Sakura looked as disturbed as Sasuke felt, and his younger self was stuck somewhere between revolted and appalled.

"I'm nobody's sensei," Sasuke hissed and when Naruto went to speak, continued. "Either call me Uchiha-san or don't address me at all."

Naruto pouted, but nodded, and everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief because a world where Naruto treated Sasuke like he was some sort of mentor was just _wrong_.

The blond went back to his team, Sakura thumping him upside his head the second he was in range.

"Ow!" Naruto rubbed his sore cranium. "What was that for, Sakura-chan?"

The girl scowled and huffed. "For upsetting Uchiha-san!" Then she turned to Sasuke with a rosy blush like a puppy seeking approval.

The teen stared flatly back at her until Kakashi clapped for attention. "Now that everyone is here." The genin focused on their instructor. "We can set out for our mission."

Naruto cheered while Sakura and his younger self perked up, all of them eager for something more adventurous than the teamwork training they'd been subjected to for the past two days.

However, Sasuke knew they were in for a nasty surprise as Kakashi said, "First we're picking up trash around the park—"

"Nooo!" Naruto cried dramatically and Sakura slumped while the younger Uchiha looked unimpressed.

Kakashi blinked, seemingly taken aback by their reluctance, and Sasuke did his best to ignore the resulting argument. He already knew Kakashi wouldn't give them a higher-ranked mission no matter how much Naruto whined, so got comfortable leaning against the bridge post until the three genin grudgingly accepted their task.

At the park, Kakashi handed each genin a couple of garbage bags and a trash picker before sending them on their way. Then he pulled out his orange book and pretended to read it as he wandered back to the tree Sasuke was leaning against under the shade.

The jonin sat on the park bench beside the tree, book in front of his face hiding his expression as he hummed. "It must be boring having to relive your C-rank mission days."

"Hn."

Kakashi quieted for a minute, then casually asked, "So how are you two settling in?"

The teen narrowed his eyes. "How do you think?"

Kakashi went quiet again, but soon lowered his book. "Let me guess," he stared seriously at the teen, "You two haven't exactly been nice to each other."

Sasuke let his silence speak for him and the man nodded. "I thought so." He frowned. "I was at the library last night researching your scroll, and as I was thinking about your situation, I started to wonder what it would be like if my twelve-year old self met the current me."

The teen regarded the jonin with interest since Kakashi never did tell him much about his past.

"I'm not sure, but I think if my younger self saw the current me he would be...disappointed." An undertone of regret laced the Hatake's voice, but Sasuke wasn't sure why. Though hadn't Kakashi once told him everyone he cared about was gone? Did it have something to do with that?

"Anyway," the jonin smiled with his eye, trying to put him at ease. "What I'm trying to say is I can imagine how hard it is dealing with your past self, and how it might... _hurt_ seeing people alive now who may no longer be around in your time."

Sasuke's jaw clenched, images of Itachi cropping in his mind before he dammed up the surge of memories.

"But it's probably just as hard for your younger self since, as you might remember, you were a very competitive genin, so Sasuke seeing his older self being able to do so much while he can't—"

"Stop."

Kakashi did, and Sasuke glared at him. "Don't lecture me," his voice hardened, "I'm not your student." Anger boiled his blood because the man had no right to talk to him like he was still Sasuke's sensei, not after he tried to kill him.

The jonin frowned under his mask, but nodded. "You're right." He picked up his book and went back to pretending to read. "My apologies," he muttered.

Yet Sasuke couldn't let the conversation end there, so asked, "How much did you tell the Hokage about me?" His gaze became calculative.

Kakashi didn't look up as he said, "My report informed him that due to an unknown time-space jutsu there would be two Uchiha Sasukes residing in Konoha for an undetermined amount of time, and that you will be living with your younger self until I can make a seal that returns you to the future." He shrugged. "They sent a message approving of the arrangement last night."

Sasuke eyed him, but couldn't find any signs the man was lying. He went to ask more when suddenly Naruto ran over, dragging two overstuffed trash bags behind him. "Hey, Uchiha-san! Look how much garbage I picked up!"

Sasuke arched a brow, silently asking why he should care, and Naruto beamed. "So now that I'm all done, will you spar with me?"

"No." Sasuke stated in a monotone, but this merely encouraged the blond to draw closer.

"But I'm really strong, see, see!" He hefted up both bags with a grunt, only for one to slip out of his hold and land on the grass, opening up to spill trash next to Sasuke's feet.

Naruto scratched his face, chuckling nervously and Sasuke sighed. "You can fight me," the blond lit up, "My younger self is right over there, so go have your fight." He nodded towards the raven-haired boy who had stopped picking up trash to watch their interaction, face wrinkled with worry. Seriously? Did the preteen think he was going to attack the blond simply because he was being a pest?

Naruto huffed, asserting that he wanted to fight the cooler Sasuke, but the older boy ignored him, his ebony eyes remaining on his younger self as the boy hastily went back to picking up trash once he noticed the teen's attention on him.

Sasuke frowned, realizing things weren't going according to plan, and for Itachi's sake, he needed to fix things quickly.

* * *

The preteen Uchiha bid his team goodbye after Kakashi dismissed them and turned to walk down the stone path right as he heard. "Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke mentally groaned while Sakura skipped up to him, cheeks flushed with infatuation and a coy smile spreading across her lips.

The boy knew what was coming before she asked, "Want to go on a date with me?"

Sasuke was going to turn her down when his older self interjected. "That might be awkward."

Sakura looked up, blush deepening as his future self ambled over to them. "Oh! Did you want to come too, Uchiha-san?" Her eyes glittered, the girl clearly imagining herself on a date with two Sasukes.

"I can't."

Sakura paused, frowning at the rejection, but before she could try to persuade him, the teen said, "I already have a girlfriend."

Sasuke choked and Sakura gasped, both of their jaws hitting the floor.

"What!?" Sasuke cried, but his older self was focused on the speechless girl.

"That's why I said it would be awkward." His future self shrugged. "Seeing my younger self go on a date with you..." His expression turned cold. "When I'm dating someone else."

Sasuke might have heard Sakura's heart snapping in two if he wasn't busy internally screaming because he was dating someone. His older self was _dating_ someone and maybe it shouldn't have shocked him so much—it wasn't like he could restore the clan on his own—but still, Sasuke was _dating someone_.

The preteen felt faint as his older self began to walk away, only for Sakura to dash in front of him.

"Please." The girl's eyes shimmered with unshed tears and Sasuke came out of his stupor enough to feel a bit bad his older self had delivered the news so bluntly. Sure, he didn't desire Sakura's romantic attention, but he didn't want to make her cry either.

"Just tell me," Sakura sniffled, lips wobbling, "You're not dating Ino!" The girl threw her face into her hands, anticipating the worst.

"It's not Ino," Sakura raised her head, seeming hopeful until the teen said, "My girlfriend won't live in Konoha for another four years, but if you hear about an accomplished medic-nin with phenomenal chakra control in the future, it's probably her."

There was a touch of mirth in his older self's voice as he described his girlfriend, but Sasuke couldn't determine why while the teen said, "Besides, I'm busy today."

The Uchiha strode past the dazed girl, leaving her teary-eyed and trembling. Sasuke almost said something to her, but felt his future self's eyes on him, and uncomfortable, he simply hurried past the girl, pretending not to see her tears.

The teen waited for him to catch up before continuing along the path while Sasuke struggled between blurting a question and ignoring his future self's existence as he'd been doing for most of the day.

Eventually stubbornness won out and Sasuke sealed his lips, but his older self must have noticed his indecisiveness for he said, "You know I'm not actually dating someone."

An odd wheeze of relief squeezed out of Sasuke's chest, allowing him to breathe properly again, though he was embarrassed when his older self raised a brow at the reaction. "I was just getting her off your back," the older Uchiha explained.

Sasuke was almost grateful until he recalled Sakura's stricken face. The teenager had hurt her simply because she was being a nuisance...was Sasuke truly so cold?

The preteen knew he wasn't the nicest person, but would he really end up so heartless one day?

Lost in his thoughts, the boy didn't notice they had arrived home until his older self stopped at the front door, bending over to pick up a tall box that was sitting on their doorstep.

"What is that?" Sasuke asked, awed by how the teenager lifted the tall box with one hand as he slid open the door. Was his future self using chakra to enhance his prowess? Or was he using brute strength?

Either way was a testament to his older self's power, and while Sasuke was glad to see how strong he would become, he couldn't take joy in it as he recalled his older self threatening to use that power to raze Konoha to the ground.

"This is the new balcony door. I'm going to install it now." The teen went over to the stairs, and Sasuke raised his hand to call him back, but quickly lowered it.

He could always go to the private Uchiha training grounds later, so there was no need to confront his older self. Besides, Sasuke was hungry anyway.

The preteen pulled out a box from the fridge, opened it, and laid the three salmon inside on a frying pan. He was halfway done cooking them when he remembered to double the portions and added another three to the pan, making extra onigiri as well.

It felt strange setting two full plates on the low table and actually expecting someone else to sit across from him, despite having done the same thing this morning, probably because Sasuke never had visitors over and rarely accepted his teammates offers to eat out.

Yet it felt even weirder hearing the sound of construction upstairs when Sasuke was used to the silence only being broken by himself. The change wasn't unwelcome, even though his older self never came down, as simply knowing someone else was in the house pleased him.

However, all feelings of gratitude washed away when Sasuke recalled the teen's savage declaration to the Hokage and his determination to destroy the Village—their _home_ —and to kill everyone in it.

_"I am you."_

Sasuke shuddered, disturbed by the idea he would ever become so bloodthirsty.

Not that he disagreed the Hokage and councilors should pay for what they'd done to his family, especially since it sounded like they gave Itachi the idea to test his abilities on the Uchiha clan. Clearly the Village had despised his clan, but for what reason Sasuke didn't know.

Regardless, it shouldn't have warranted his entire clan dying.

Sasuke's fists clenched and his face darkened. Yes, Sasuke certainly understood why his older self was so angry. However, the Hokage had looked genuinely regretful last night...so maybe it had been a misunderstanding.

If so it didn't excuse what the Hokage and his councilors had done, but it eased the sting of betrayal Sasuke felt.

Still, contemplating what he learned last night made Sasuke even more anxious to train because it was no longer simply Itachi he needed to battle, but there was now at least one other named Danzō who deserved to die.

Sasuke glowered. A Kekkei Genkai thief of any sort disgusted him, but this Danzō had stolen his clan's sharingan, one of his eyes having been stolen from Shisui...

The preteen paused. Wait, had Danzō taken Shisui's eye before he died? Was that why Itachi killed Shisui? Because he knew Shisui was vulnerable?

Sasuke shook his head, growing frustrated by the lack of answers. Yet he couldn't ask his older self, not when the teen's mere presence made him uncomfortable.

However, the preteen's restlessness was growing by the minute, and still hearing the sounds of furniture being moved upstairs, Sasuke doubted his future self was coming down anytime soon.

Due to their invisible bond Sasuke couldn't go all the way to the training grounds without dragging his future self after him, but maybe the target boards in the backyard weren't out of reach.

Sasuke believed that as he slid open the door and walked past the empty pond, and the preteen kept believing until he heard a loud crash behind him.

The preteen quickly ran back inside and stopped short at the sight of his future self hanging from a kunai imbedded in the side of the staircase. The older Uchiha looked over his shoulder with a scowl and Sasuke shrank under his gaze while the teen tore the kunai out and dropped to the floor.

The teen's clothes were rumpled, but otherwise he appeared unharmed. Still he didn't seem to have appreciated being dragged as he glared at Sasuke. "I'm assuming you had a good reason for yanking me halfway across the house?"

The preteen crossed his arms to cover up his nervousness. "I didn't realize our bond was so short."

The teen looked unimpressed, and Sasuke braced himself, but the older boy just sighed and asked, "Where were you going?"

Confused, Sasuke answered. "I was going to train in the backyard."

The teen shook his head. "You can't, I burned all the targets there."

Sasuke jolted, but the teen didn't explain as he said, "We can go to the private training grounds later, just let me clean up the mess upstairs first."

Sasuke's eyes widened while the teen moved away, something about his future self's words ringing familiar.

_"Forgive me, Sasuke. Next time, okay?"_

Sasuke inhaled sharply, realizing it felt like back when Itachi would promise to help him train.

The scenario may have been different, but his future self was an older Uchiha like Itachi and Sasuke had wanted his older self to train him until the teen rejected the idea.

"We can go."

Sasuke blinked at his older self's sudden appearance while the teen walked towards the front door with the food Sasuke had made for him in a bento box. The preteen hurried after him, carefully avoiding the wire trap by the entrance.

They soon arrived in the forest, and the same feeling of surrealism Sasuke felt when he heard someone else in the house struck him, as no one but him had visited the Uchiha training grounds for years now.

Sasuke shook the feeling off while he entered a clearing that had three target boards pinned to trees, four hanging from branches and one on a rock. The Uchiha pulled eight shuriken from his weapon pouch and activated his sharingan, yet hesitated, glancing towards his older self.

The teen wasn't beside him anymore, but after a quick search, Sasuke spotted him sitting high up on a tree limb, leaning against the bark with his food in his lap.

Sasuke doubted he could hit him by accident from such a distance, so got into the clearing's center and threw himself into practice. With four shuriken in each hand, Sasuke ran up a tree, pushed off the bark, and threw the shuriken as he flipped through the air.

Five hit dead center, two hit a target's outer edge, but the shuriken aimed at the rock soared over the board and landed in the grass. Sasuke's face reddened, and he sent a furtive glance at his older self, yet the teen was focused on his meal.

The preteen calmed, seeing his older self hadn't seen him mess up, and quickly retrieved all of the shuriken. He again repeated the maneuver, springing in the air and twisting as he flung his shuriken at the targets. However, he was dismayed to land and see he'd still missed the rock target and this time also missed one of the hanging targets.

Sasuke scowled, and repeated the attempt over and over again, but either got the same success or did slightly worse. Eventually, sweaty and panting while he stood in the rich orange light of sunset, Sasuke sprinted towards the tree, ran up its bark and forced chakra into his feet so he was launched higher into the air. Twisting left and right, he threw each shuriken individually until he started to fall and tossed his remaining shuriken at the rock target.

He heard the seven shuriken hit the boards behind him as he watched the last one spin towards the rock, but Sasuke soon realized it was flying too high and would miss the stone target again.

Or it would have if a kunai didn't suddenly speed down onto the shuriken, knocking it into the rock target's black center while Sasuke landed in a crouch, gaping and breathing heavily.

"You won't be able to hit that target for another month."

Sasuke deactivated his sharingan, looking up to see his older self standing on a branch yards above the rock target. The preteen squinted, wondering where the teen had pulled his kunai from when he wasn't wearing any weapon pouches.

"I summon them." The teen smirked, and Sasuke realized he'd voiced his question out loud. "Like this."

The Uchiha leapt from the tree, yanking down his dark blue wrist warmer to reveal a seal inked on his skin. He activated it as he fell, his hands moving so fast Sasuke only glimpsed a silver shine before eight of his shuriken had embedded themselves in all of the targets.

His future self landed, so gracefully he almost seemed to float down, and Sasuke couldn't stop gaping because the teen hadn't even used his sharingan to accomplish what Sasuke had failed to do for the last hour.

Jealousy pricked his heart until the preteen remembered this was his future self, which meant his accomplishments would one day be Sasuke's accomplishments.

The preteen refocused on the present, and found his older self staring at him. Not liking the look in his older self's eyes, Sasuke glared and demanded. "What?"

The teen didn't respond, and Sasuke huffed, turning his back on the teen as he started gathering his shuriken. He pulled out one from a hanging target and wrapped his hand around the next one on a nearby target when his older self spoke.

"I'll train you."

The shuriken slipped from Sasuke's fingers and he whipped back, wide-eyed. "W-what?"

The teen laid a hand on his side, a smirk tugging up his lips. "I said I'll train you."

Sasuke wondered if he hit his head while training, but on the chance he was hearing his future self correctly, asked, "You're offering to train me?" The teen nodded and Sasuke scowled. "I thought you had _better_ things to do."

"I've changed my mind." His older self stepped closer and Sasuke resisted moving back because it wasn't like his older self could hurt him...though physical blows weren't the only ones that hurt...

The teen's expression grew stern. "Danzō will come after me, and while I've killed him before." Sasuke flinched, unnerved by his older self's easy admittance to killing. "Being tied to you will slow me down in a fight, and if I have to defend both of us, I'll be even slower."

Sasuke sneered, tilting his head back haughtily. "And whose fault is that? You're the one who threatened the Hokage, so deal with him yourself—"

"You really think it's me they're going to target?"

Sasuke's mouth shut while the older Uchiha coldly said, "Why would they try to kill me when they could just take out my twelve-year old self and accomplish the same thing?"

The preteen's blood ran cold, speech dying in his throat since he never considered he would be the one targeted. "But...but I haven't done anything!"

"That won't matter to Danzō." The teen's face hardened. "He was hoping you'd die during the massacre," Sasuke's eyes widened, "And he's wanted you dead ever since."

Sasuke balked while the teen said, "So let me train you—"

"No."

The teen stared at him, confused, and Sasuke scoffed. "How dumb do you think I am?" His older self didn't reply, so he continued. "If you were actually concerned Danzō might kill us, you wouldn't _offer_ to train me, you would demand it, so what's the real reason you're offering?"

His future self was expressionless, but soon smirked. "It's nice to know I wasn't a complete idiot at your age." His smirk faded. "It's what you want, isn't it?"

Sasuke's mouth went dry as his older self walked right up to him. "I can give you what you want." The teen grinned, though it wasn't a nice smile. "And in exchange," rage thickened his voice, "You won't interfere when I destroy Konoha."

Sasuke's breath hitched. "Why...why do you sound so sure you'll have to? The Hokage—"

"Won't submit to my demands." The teen sounded amused. "Because if he did, he'd be ruining his own reputation, and if Konoha learns the truth, they might turn against him, maybe even overthrow him. Then the neighboring Villages might take advantage of the political upheaval and attack Konoha, something I doubt the Hokage will risk simply to appease me."

The realization slammed into Sasuke. "You gave him an ultimatum you knew he couldn't accept... Why?"

"Because I want him to feel trapped," the teen hissed, hate twisting his features. "To scrabble for a way out, knowing it's futile." He seethed before his expression flattened and he said, "I am going to burn this Village to the ground, but I won't kill Naruto and Sakura if it bothers you so much."

Sasuke frowned. "But what about the rest of the Villag—"

The teen sent him a disappointed look. "You really want to allow the ones who slaughtered our family to live?"

Sasuke's gaze fell, but the teen grabbed his chin, forcing him to look up. "Do you really care so little about Mother and Father? Our clan?" His future self hissed.

The preteen's eyes started to burn. "I do care!"

"Then why are you allowing their murderers to roam free?" The teen shouted. "Why are you letting their deaths remain unavenged!?"

Sasuke didn't answer, a broken expression on his face while the teen released him and said, "Let me train you, and you'll be able to avenge the clan within months," his ebony eyes bored into Sasuke's matching irises, "And soon you'll be so powerful no one will ever dare to hurt your comrades again."

Sasuke swallowed thickly, feeling the temptation slither around his neck like a noose. "But...but what about Itachi?"

"I know where he is." The preteen recoiled, shocked. "We'll go after him once I've destroyed Konoha," the teen smiled cruelly, "And have the Hokage and his councilors dead at my feet."

Sasuke stared at him, terrified of the insanity in those black orbs identical to his own. Yet he also saw the strength in his older self's stance, the confidence in his voice, and felt his _power_ humming in the air.

Sasuke wanted it, craved that power like a moth craved a flame. All the jutsu he could learn, the skills his older self could teach him, and all he had to do was stand back and let Konoha burn.

The preteen couldn't feel his own tongue as the words fell out. "Train me."

The teen smirked and Sasuke knew the Village would burn and he might choke on its ashes, but Sasuke hadn't been able to breathe properly since that night, so if he was going to suffocate anyway, there really wasn't a difference.

* * *

Many miles away on a hill covered in dense forest, the sky above was cloudy and gray.

It would rain soon, Itachi thought as he walked down the forest path beside Kisame, delicately avoiding the mud spots along the trail. Their recent mission had lasted longer than most and both of them had endured more combat than usual, so Itachi was hoping to reach the Akatsuki hideout before nightfall.

However, while he was estimating the distance from here to Amegakure, a shrill call rang above the whistling wind. He and Kisame stopped and looked up to see a brown smudge in the dark horizon. The figure drew closer and closer, enlarging until Itachi could identify it as a hawk.

"That is one large bird," Kisame muttered as the hawk glided down and landed on the black soil a few feet away.

Itachi noticed it was wearing a message bag before he noticed its eye, which contained too much intelligence not to be a summon, was on him.

Kisame noticed that too, saying, "It looks like someone wants to speak to you." There was curiosity in his tone, but Itachi couldn't explain since he was just as clueless about who would want to contact him.

None of the other Akatsuki members had hawk summons, and the Hokage knew better than to contact Itachi with such a flashy summon, so Itachi activated his sharingan while he tentatively approached the tall hawk.

The bird bowed its head, allowing Itachi to more easily access the message bag and the Uchiha checked it over yet perceived no chakra within the package. However, that didn’t necessarily mean the bag wasn’t a bomb or trap.

Though even if it was Itachi could simply escape the explosion with a crow clone. Therefore, he closed the distance between them and removed the bag from the hawk's back.

The sound of paper rustling inside quickly caught his attention, and Itachi reached in until his fingers brushed over a folded letter.

Pulling it out and opening it, the Uchiha paused when he saw the message had been written so only a sharingan user could read it, meaning it was definitely for him. Yet how did the sender learn to write in such a way?

Wary, Itachi read the first line.

_Dear Nii-san—_

Itachi gasped and Kisame turned sharply to him, but the Uchiha quickly composed his face. Though his mind was racing because surely he'd read that wrong...Sasuke couldn't have...surely not...

Heart lodged in his throat, Itachi kept reading.

_I know you weren't expecting to hear from me, but I need your help. My name is Uchiha Sasuke, however, I am not the twelve-year old you're thinking of. This might be hard to believe, but I am Sasuke from over four years in the future._

Itachi stiffened. That wasn't hard to believe, it was _impossible_ to believe. Yet Itachi couldn't ignore such a claim without hearing all the facts so rushed to read more.

_The Sasuke you know, my twelve-year old self, transported me from the future and brought me to this time using an old Uchiha scroll he found in the Land of Waves. I've sent a copy of it along with this letter._

Itachi lowered the paper and rummaged through the bag until he found the copy. Giving it a cursory look over, Itachi balked at the intricacy of the time-space seal before looking back at the letter.

 _The scroll is supposed to send me back to my time eventually, but nobody can determine how long it will be until then, so Kakashi has started searching for a way to reverse the seal. Yet he is no seal master, and since the seal has tethered me to my younger self, I cannot leave Konoha to find information on my own. I know you aren't a seal master either, yet you're the only one I trust who has knowledge on our clan's history and ninjutsu._ _Any help you can offer, whether it's information on the scroll or the seal, would be appreciated. You can send a message with my hawk Garuda, but even if you can't help me, know I will love you always too—_

Itachi's eyes widened, hand clenching the letter tight.

_Sincerely,_

_Your foolish otouto Sasuke_

Itachi stared at the letter. Reading it a second and third time even though his sharingan had already recorded the message. Then he burned the paper and let the ashes flutter to the ground.

I will love you always

love you always

_love you_

Sasuke loved him, and it was like a fist grabbed hold of his heart and squeezed it dry until Itachi's whole body was devoid of blood because Sasuke _knew_. Somehow his little brother had learned the truth, and despite everything Itachi had done to him, his little brother _loved_ him.

Itachi couldn't imagine a scenario where he admitted the truth nor the Hokage or any of his councilors, so was it Tobi who told him?

Perhaps, but Itachi couldn't say with one hundred percent certainty what actions his future self would take, so maybe it had been him who admitted the truth to Sasuke.

Itachi rummaged through the rest of the bag, desperate for answers, but all he found was a jar of eye ointment, one handmade by the Hyuga clan and specifically created to help dōjutsu users, a variety of medicinal teas, and dango. Lots of dango.

Itachi struggled to remain neutral as he examined the four plastic containers full of different colored dango, and the Uchiha wasn't sure if he wanted to cry or smile, but settled for shocked. Itachi didn't know how to react to this, hadn't been expecting his younger brother to ever learn the truth or to feel anything but hate for him. Most of all Itachi never expected to encounter his time traveling younger brother, yet that was a part of his reality now.

Itachi waved the hawk away and returned to Kisame's side, who eyeballed the message bag, but made no comment as the Uchiha silently resumed his walk. Itachi would explain himself before they reached the hideout and alleviate any of Kisame's suspicions, but for now Itachi couldn't think of an excuse. His mind was whirring with a thousand questions, heart drowning in an emotional upheaval of such magnitude Itachi couldn't even discern what he was feeling.

_I will love you always_

That phrase haunted Itachi like a ghost, for as much as he appreciated the sentiment, there was something ominous about it, a tone of finality to the words.

As Itachi pondered it, the hawk summon took off behind him, rising into the gray sky and disappearing into the clouds while slowly the rain started to pour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember how I said this story would be like five chapters? Turns out I enjoy writing Older!Sasuke interacting with Younger!Sasuke too much, so now it looks like it will be about eight chapters... 😅  
> Also, I've adjusted teen Sasuke's age because I couldn't remember if he was 16 or 17 when I wrote the first chapter, but after rewatching some episodes, I realized he was 17. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for all the amazing support and comments! It really means a lot seeing how many people are enjoying the story, so I hope you all enjoyed this chapter too 😄
> 
> Next time: Older!Sasuke starts training his younger self and the Chunin Exam officially begins...


	4. Chapter 4

The twelve-year old Uchiha raised his hand to muffle a yawn while he trudged after his older self into the backyard, the teenager having woken him at daybreak for their first training session.

Sasuke thought it was too early for this—too early for anything except sleeping really—but the older boy had insisted so Sasuke dragged himself out of bed and now stood across from the teen in the spacious yard.

"Snake or hawk?"

"Huh?" The preteen's eyes fluttered, sluggish mind unable to comprehend the sudden question.

The teen frowned, tone annoyed. "I mean which do you prefer to summon?"

It took a second for Sasuke to register what his older self was offering, but once he did the preteen jerked up, shock flashing across his face. "You can summon snakes too?"

The teen shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "Yes, though there isn't enough time to teach you both before the Chunin Exam, so you'll need to pick one."

Sasuke was struggling to wrap his mind around the idea his older self could summon two different animals, maybe even _more_ , when his older self asked, "Well?"

The preteen shook off his awe to ponder what he knew about both summons, contemplating their advantages and disadvantages. As soon as his older self went to demand an answer, Sasuke decided. "Hawk."

If the teen was surprised he didn't show it, simply humming. "Hawks have been a preferred summon of the Uchiha clan for many generations, so I guess it makes sense you would pick them."

Even tired as he was, Sasuke caught the note of curiosity in the teen's voice. Quickly he realized why. "Hawks weren't your first summons?"

The teen shook his head. "No, but I didn't have options like you. Snake summons were the only ones available at the time." He looked off to the side. "Clearly you won't always make the same choices as me, which is fine..." Almost too quiet to hear he muttered. "There are some things you're better off avoiding."

The teen's features smoothed out before Sasuke could ask what he meant. "So I'll teach you how to summon hawks." He looked back at the preteen. "Normally you would need to sign a contract, but since I've already used our blood to sign a pact you automatically have access to all of my summons."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "Even that giant hawk?"

The teen smirked. "Of course," his expression flattened, "But you'll need to build up your chakra reserves before you can summon Garuda, and learn the hand sign—"

The preteen flashed his teeth before he bit his thumb and moved through five signs. "Boar, dog, bird, monkey, and ram, right?"

The teen's brow rose, yet soon his lips flicked up. "You watched my hands while I summoned Garuda." He sounded mildly impressed. "Yes, now gather chakra in your hand and set it on the ground. Since your reserves are smaller than mines," the preteen scowled at the reminder, "You'll have to use most of your chakra to summon a decent hawk."

The preteen nodded and bent down to slam his palm on the grass. "Summoning Jutsu!"

A cloud of smoke burst over Sasuke's hand, concealing the jutsu's result, and both Uchiha leaned forward as the gray wisps faded.

A brown hawk no larger than a human head sat under Sasuke's hand, ruffling its wings in anticipation while its brown eyes darted from the teenager to preteen, as if uncertain which had summoned it.

"Good enough." The teen dismissed the hawk and turned to the preteen who was still staring where the bird had been, a triumphant gleam in his eyes. "Did you use up all your chakra?"

The preteen's mouth curved into a sharp grin. "I've got plenty."

"In that case," the teen's face hardened, "Run twenty laps around the district perimeter."

The preteen gaped. "Twenty laps?" He peered over the house wall to the rest of the Uchiha compound, noting the district's grand size. "I can't—"

"You can and will if you want to increase your speed." The preteen faltered under his future self's stern tone. "I'm going to set the pace, use your sharingan to match my movements, and don't stop until I do."

Sasuke again looked over the large district, hesitating, but his future self wouldn't ask him to do it if he was incapable. For who knew his limitations better than himself?

That was why the idea of his older self training him had enticed Sasuke so much. Having a teacher who knew his strengths and weaknesses, the way he learned best, and whose attention wasn't split between two other genin…what better teacher could Sasuke ever hope for?

"Come on," the teen barked before leaping up onto the housetop and taking off.

Seeing he would be left behind, or worse drag his older self back with their invisible bond and anger the teen, Sasuke activated his sharingan, flipped onto the roof and sped after the older boy.

It was strange chasing the uchiwa printed on the teen's back—something Sasuke hadn't seen on another person for _years_ —yet it was also oddly invigorating.

So Sasuke ran, pushing himself to go faster and faster even as his lungs burned and his feet screamed. He simply kept his eyes on that red and white fan and told himself if he was doing it for them, nothing else mattered.

Not Konoha, not his team, and certainly not himself.

* * *

The preteen was sore and exhausted by the time he met with his team, but forced himself to straighten up once he saw Sakura and Naruto on the cement staircase leading to the training grounds.

Sakura was the first to notice his approach, lighting up when she spotted him, but faltering as she noticed his older self. Still the girl forced a grin. "Good morning, Sasuke-kun, Uchiha-san!"

Naruto looked as dead as Sasuke felt, dozing against the staircase railing, yet upon hearing Sakura, his blue eyes swung towards the teenager and a broad grin split his face. "Uchiha-san!"

"Not again." The teen muttered behind Sasuke while Naruto practically bounced in place until they came to a stop in front of him.

"Can we spar—"

"No." The teen glared at the blond, but Naruto didn't seem to notice.

"Aww, why not?" The Uzumaki pouted until he saw something sticking out behind the teen.

Naruto gasped. "Is that a sword!?" He leaned over to better examine the sheath strapped to the black bandages the teen had wrapped around his waist. "When did you get a sword!? Can I see—"

Suddenly the teen grabbed Naruto by the back of his collar and deposited him directly in front of Sasuke, shocking both boys. "You want to spar with me, fine, spar with _me_." The teen gestured at the preteen, making it very clear which Uchiha he should spar with.

However, Naruto's face grew petulant as did Sasuke's while the blond crossed his arms. "I don't want to spar with the teme, he's weak!" He lifted his chin haughtily and a fire kindled in Sasuke's chest.

"What did you say?" Sasuke gritted his teeth, eyes narrowing to slits.

Naruto shrugged. "I already beat you." Sasuke tensed. "So there's no point in fighting you when I'm clearly the better ninja."

Sasuke's hands balled up. "That doesn't count, baka! You only won because my future self helped you!"

"That's not what Kakashi said—"

"I don't care what that Kakashi thinks!" Sasuke exploded, getting in the blond's face. "If you were actually stronger than me, you wouldn't need to rely on others," his mouth curved into a vicious smirk, "Or are you too much of a scaredy-cat to take me on alone?"

Rage sparked in Naruto's blue orbs, his hands lowering as he clenched them. "I'm not afraid, believe it!"

"Naruto, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura moved to intervene, but in a puff of smoke Kakashi appeared beside the group.

"Now, now, what were my cute little genin getting up to while I was gone?" He asked casually, though his eye was on Sasuke and Naruto while the two glared at each other before looking away.

"You're late!" Sakura scowled and Naruto glowered at the jonin.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, well, I was retrieving our mission—"

"It took you _two hours_ to get missions?" Sakura crossed her arms, disbelief clear.

The jonin chuckled. "The line was very long—"

"Liar!" Naruto and Sakura shouted while Sasuke sighed, also irritated with the man's chronic tardiness, but unwilling to make a scene.

However, as Naruto and Sakura berated the jonin, Sasuke glanced back to see his older self staring at his teammates, an indescribable look in his eyes.

Though the look quickly faded when the teen turned to Sasuke and snapped. "Stop staring at me."

Sasuke did, facing frontwards. Still, after a moment, he softly asked, "Why do you always look upset when you see them?"

He didn't actually expect an answer, so was shocked when the older boy replied. "Because they're idiots." His jaw clenched. "All of you are."

The younger Uchiha might have been insulted, except there was no anger in his older self's voice. Rather, there was something quiet, almost sad ringing through his words.

So Sasuke didn't ask again while his older self looked away like he couldn't bear the sight of them anymore.

* * *

Sasuke continued his usual training routine on top of the assignments his older self was giving him, which meant he was exhausted more often than not these days.

Though his effort was proving worth it as the exercises steadily became easier. The laps around the Uchiha district no longer leaving him winded, even if he never could quite match his older self's speed, his hawk summons now appearing as tall as his arm, and his shuriken striking every target dead center.

And Sasuke knew he wasn't imagining the improvement since Kakashi pulled him aside during a farm aid mission to say, "You've gotten faster."

Sasuke aimed the water hose in his hand at a cabbage and shrugged. "Hn."

Kakashi observed him for a second before stating. "He's been helping you train."

It wasn't really a question, so Sasuke didn't respond. Yet Kakashi didn't take offense while he smiled with his eye. "I guess this means you're getting along better."

Sasuke blinked. "What are you talking about?"

Kakashi followed him as he moved to water the carrots. "Uchiha-san mentioned you two weren't getting along, but if he's helping you train I assume things have improv..." He trailed off, noticing the boy's terse expression. "Sasuke?"

The preteen shook his head. "We're getting along fine," he said, heading towards the brown tool shed like he meant to turn off the hose, but really he was hoping his future self who was perched on the shed's roof would scare the jonin away.

Because Sasuke didn't want to talk about how intimidating his older self could be. That the teen's rage, his _fury_ , likened watching a forest fire while the flames swiftly ate away the trees and flowers until nothing but blackened roots remained.

Sasuke might have been more willing to discuss his future self's disturbing behavior if he hadn't learned more ninjutsu in the past week than he had in the past month. Therefore, the preteen couldn't risk jeopardizing his older self's place in Konoha, lest he lose his best chance at obtaining power.

Surprisingly Kakashi followed him even as his older self looked away from the sky to watch the man approach warily, something he always did around Kakashi. The jonin obviously picked up on this too for he stopped a healthy distance away like he didn't want to crowd the teen.

"What is it?"

Sasuke thought his older self sounded a tad colder whenever he spoke to the jonin too, but why was that?

The preteen frowned. Considering his older self's hatred for Konoha, he suspected the teen was a missing-nin, and though the possibility made Sasuke squirm inside, it would explain why his older self was always on his guard around Kakashi since the jonin might be his enemy in the future.

Sasuke was half-thrilled he would be a match for a jonin like Kakashi in a few years and half-terrified he might betray his sensei someday.

"I need to talk to you about the Uchiha scroll," Kakashi said, and Sasuke perked up as did the teen.

"Did you learn something?" The teenager hopped off the shed and landed beside Sasuke.

"Yes," Kakashi inclined his head, "I've figured out how the seal brought you here and how it's keeping you in this time."

The teen crossed his arms. "It's because of the bond connecting me to my younger self, right?"

Kakashi was taken aback. "You already know?"

Sasuke wasn't quite following until his older self turned to him and said, "The bond that prevents me from straying too far from you is made of our chakra, _both_ of our chakra."

Sasuke's lips parted in surprise while the teen explained. "When you activated the time-space seal, it took some of your chakra and transported that chakra to the future. The seal then used your chakra signature to locate me, and once it did, the seal linked our chakra together, creating a bond from it. This bond acted like a rubberband to pull me back in time to your location."

Sasuke's face crinkled thoughtfully. "That's why you have to stay near me, our bond is anchoring you in this time."

The teen nodded. "I suspect that's also why it prevents me from harming you since if I killed my past self a paradox would be created and the jutsu would fall apart."

"Well," Kakashi slumped, sounding a bit put out, "I guess I don't have that much to tell you except…" He paused as if expecting to be interrupted, yet when both Uchiha remained quiet, he said, "I figured out how to extend the bond."

"You did?" Sasuke asked, maybe a bit too eagerly based on the look his older self sent him.

Kakashi smiled under his mask. "Yes, though it will require some effort from you." He told the older Uchiha. "Because the bond is made of your chakra you'll have to feed it more of your chakra to extend it, which is why I recommend you be the one to sacrifice your reserves since you have more to spare."

"Fine." The teen instantly agreed and Sasuke realized it wasn't just him dying to get some space from his other self.

"Hold on," Kakashi held up his hands, "I haven't finished making the seal that will let you divert chakra to the bond. Also," his gaze sharpened, "There's a drawback."

The two Uchiha eyed him seriously while he said, "The bond can only be extended for a limited time, I estimate for a day at most, and whenever the bond shrinks back down, the length will temporarily be shorter because the chakra it's composed of will need time to regenerate."

The teen scowled. "So whenever I extend the bond, for a time its length could be so short I'll practically be glued to my younger self's side."

Sasuke inwardly shuddered. It was bad enough as it was without being constantly at the teen's side.

"Yes," the Hatake sighed. "That's why I suggest you don't extend the bond unless you really have to."

Both Uchiha agreed, neither of them wanting to be stuck so close to each other, and the jonin moved to leave when suddenly he froze. "Ah, I almost forgot." Kakashi reached into his pocket and withdrew a dark blue Konoha headband, offering it to the teen. "I got you a new one since it looks like you'll be in the Village for a while."

Sasuke stiffened, watching the teen's black orbs land on the headband's leaf symbol. Yet not a single speck of emotion showed on the teen's face while he took the headband from the jonin. Though instead of tying it around his head, the older Uchiha hung it off the black bandages wrapped around his waist.

Kakashi blinked at the choice, but didn't question it before departing, and Sasuke thought he was wrong about his older self being a missing-nin until the teen's hand clenched around the headband so hard his skin turned a bloodless white. Wisely the preteen left then to join Sakura in planting vegetable seeds.

Yet the preteen couldn't avoid his older self forever and eventually the two Uchiha went home. There, Sasuke watched his older self rip off the headband and fling a shuriken at it, stabbing the cloth into the bedroom wall.

Any doubts Sasuke had that his older self wasn't a missing-nin were torn away in that instant, and he sat down on his bed so the confirmation wouldn't overwhelm him.

However, his older self either noticed his expression in the moonlight streaming through the balcony door or it was a coincidence the teen hissed. "I hate being in this Village." He glowered at Sasuke. "You couldn't have waited to summon me after you turned thirteen?" He questioned bitterly.

Sasuke dreaded the answer, but had to ask, "Why thirteen?"

The teen looked at him like it should be obvious. "Because I had already abandoned Konoha by then."

The information was a knife to the chest and Sasuke harshly whispered. "So soon?"

The teen sent him an annoyed look. "Don't act so surprised, it won't be long before you're the one seeking to destroy the Village."

Sasuke didn't retort, knowing his older self would shoot down anything he said anyway, and instead asked, "What are you going to do after Konoha is destroyed?" The words tasted acidic on his tongue while he pictured crooked bodies strewn about the Village streets and the stench of death clotting the air, exactly like that terrible night.

"I'll build a new Village." The teen revealed, surprising Sasuke since he assumed his older self hadn't planned beyond Konoha's destruction.

The teen turned to the balcony, staring out to the rest of the Village. "It will be better than Konoha, more peaceful and stronger." He looked Sasuke in the eyes. "No clan who joins us will ever be harmed or mistreated, and no enemy nation will ever dare attack us unless they wish to be destroyed."

"So you'll be this new village's Hokage?" Sasuke asked, genuinely curious about his older self's plan.

"No." The teen side-eyed the balcony, gazing to the lands past Konoha's borders. "There is someone better suited than me who will become Hokage...someone who has done far more to protect this Village than that Sarutobi."

Sasuke pondered who it could be. Certainly not Naruto, it was obvious his older self thought the blond was as ridiculous as he did. Sakura was too weak and his older self never said he would let Kakashi live, so this new Hokage had to be someone only his future self knew.

"Stop trying to figure out who it is, you don't remember them anyway."

"Remember?" Sasuke's forehead knitted together in confusion. "You mean I've already met them?" His lips angled down because this person was someone he already knew and trusted based on the teen wanting them to be Hokage, yet Sasuke couldn't picture anyone who fit that description.

The teen stared neutrally at him and said, "They were there that night." Sasuke inhaled sharply. "But you've forgotten what they did to protect you."

Sasuke gaped while his older self stepped closer. "You saw something that night, something that didn't make sense…or perhaps you're too afraid of it making sense, so your mind chose to forget it."

The preteen fought to choke out. "Tell me who it is, what did I forget?"

"I can't." The teen's expression was impassive yet tone sincere. "If I tell you, there's no guarantee it will bring back your memories, and if you can't remember, you won't believe me." He stared the preteen down. "You must think about that night and confront your true memories...or you will never remember the one person who still loves you."

Through his panicking, Sasuke asked, "Love?"

_"I killed the person I love more than anything."_

Sasuke's pupils shrank. "This person is the one you killed to obtain the mangekyō."

Pain flashed across his future self's face before he closed his eyes. "Yes." The teen turned to the balcony, pushing away images of Itachi, and hiding his smirk when he saw his younger self's reflection in the glass door.

The preteen had fallen back on his bed, mind spinning with too many revelations because there had been someone else there the night of the massacre, someone who loved him and protected him.

And Sasuke was going to kill them for it.

* * *

The teenage Uchiha stood on a tree branch, dark eyes trained on the horizon. His gaze never dropped onto the houses in the distance, as something about seeing the civilian homes bothered him.

Sasuke tilted his head down towards his younger self who was in a shallow river picking out trash from the water. The preteen looked distracted, which hopefully meant he was taking Sasuke's words to heart and would unlock his true memories from the night of the massacre. Once he did Sasuke may not even need to tell the boy the truth about Itachi, the preteen might put it together on his own.

"Uchiha-san."

Sasuke forced himself not to tense as Kakashi landed on the branch across from him. Still, his hand unconsciously lingered by his sword while the jonin said, "I've completed the bond extension seal." He retrieved a piece of paper from his vest and handed it to the teen.

"Ink the seal on your stomach and have your younger self activate it. Then you should be able to feed the bond chakra; the more you give, the longer the extension."

The teen nodded, memorizing the seal design with his sharingan before turning back to the horizon. However, the jonin didn't leave.

Sasuke was content to ignore him, but the man broke the silence, whispering. "I've done something terrible to you, haven't I?"

Sasuke looked over his shoulder, glaring since he doubted the man could see his expression over his high collar.

Kakashi's shoulders fell and he looked very tired as he said, "I can't really apologize unless you tell me what my future self did."

Sasuke shrugged. "I won't accept your apology regardless." His tone was ice while he asked, "How can a mere apology make up for you betraying me?"

Kakashi flinched, eye widening. Though putting that look on his face brought Sasuke less satisfaction than he was expecting.

"How..." Kakashi sounded almost desperate. "Are you sure I—"

"You betrayed me." Sasuke enunciated, anger twined around every syllable, and Kakashi stepped back as if struck.

"Sasuke..." The man's eye shined with remorse, but Sasuke didn't fall for it. Kakashi had chosen the Village over him, and tried to kill him when the Uchiha was simply getting vengeance for his brother. The Hatake could never be trusted again.

Sasuke would have told the jonin this if there wasn't a sudden pull in his stomach.

The teen grimaced, hand flying to his abdomen, and the jonin started. "What is it—"

The teen was wrenched off the branch, the wind fleeing his lungs while Kakashi reached for his ankle, but failed to latch on before the Uchiha plummeted down.

Sasuke threw his arm out, channeling chakra into his hand, and quickly grabbed hold of a tree limb. Yet he was immediately torn off, taking some of the bark with him while he soared past leaves and broke through branches until his back scraped over a bush.

"Uchiha-san!" Sakura shouted in surprise right as Sasuke caught sight of sparkling water and plunged headfirst into the stream.

His hands hit the sandy river bottom and the teen dug his nails in the dirt, but was still dragged under the stream for a full ten seconds before the tugging sensation abruptly disappeared. Sasuke lurched out of the water, his soppy hair falling over his eyes and soaked clothing weighing his limbs down like sandbags as he stood.

Pushing his hair out of his face, Sasuke found Sakura staring at him from a couple yards upstream, wide-eyed with her hands covering her mouth.

Kakashi looked equally shocked on top of the water behind Sakura, and turning around, Sasuke saw his stunned younger self beside a gawking Naruto on the grass next to the waterfall. Oh, he'd forgotten how he saved Naruto from plummeting over the waterfall after the idiot slipped in the river. His younger self must have moved outside their bond's reach when he went after his teammate.

Quiet laughter interrupted Sasuke's thoughts and he was surprised to see his younger self was the source, the twelve-year old Uchiha shaking with giggles until he slapped his hand over his mouth and calmed.

Naruto stared at the preteen Uchiha, blue orbs huge and Sakura and Kakashi wore similar expressions, which made sense. The teen couldn't remember ever laughing jovially in Team 7's presence, as he typically just smirked when something amused him.

Yet nobody understood the preteen Uchiha couldn't help except laugh, having tossed Naruto back to safety and put away his ninja wire when he heard the splash. The dark-haired boy then turned and saw his future self standing in the river, completely drenched with his spiky hair drooping and a surly expression on his face, and Sasuke had to laugh.

Because up until now his older self kind of terrified him, but seeing the teen in such an undignified state made Sasuke realize the older Uchiha wasn't some untouchable, all-powerful being, but a teenager, a mere boy no different from Sasuke.

The preteen bit his tongue to stop his giggling. "Sorry," he muttered, composing his expression. His older self narrowed his eyes at him, but the preteen refused to explain.

"Okay," Kakashi's gaze drifted from the soaked Uchiha to the younger one. "How about you go home, Sasuke? Get Uchiha-san a change of clothes and once you're ready you can meet back with us outside of the Academy."

Both Uchiha agreed, the younger boy stifling a smirk when the teen stepped onto the grass and his shoes squelched. His future self glared at him, still sensing his mirth, and Sasuke quickly walked ahead to escape his anger.

They didn't waste any time returning to the Uchiha district, and Sasuke suspected the teenager felt a tad self-conscious based on how the teen beat him inside the house and was already ducking into the bathroom by the time Sasuke got upstairs.

The teen tossed out his wet clothes a minute later, nearly smacking Sasuke in the face with them as he said, "Put them in the dryer."

The preteen scowled, but picked up the wet clothing, wanting to return to his team promptly on the chance Kakashi actually got them an exciting mission. Still he grumbled about the teenager's rudeness as he went downstairs to the laundry room because even his manners weren't that bad...right?

Sasuke set the dryer on the highest setting and threw the clothes in. Fifteen minutes later he got them out and folded them just like his mother taught him to years ago.

Then he carried the bundle upstairs, slowing to a stop when he noticed his future self's sword leaning against the wall next to the bathroom. The preteen eyed the weapon, having only glimpsed the blade a couple of times as his older self trained with it while Sasuke was practicing his shurikenjutsu.

He glanced at the bathroom door, yet hearing the sink faucet running inside, Sasuke figured his older self was using the first aid kit to treat the scratches and bruises he'd sustained during his fall, meaning his older self probably wouldn't be coming out for a while.

The preteen put the clothes on the floor and walked up to the sword. Sasuke slid the blade halfway out of its sheath and paused. A chokutō? The blade was longer than most of its type, so he hadn't expected it to be one.

The boy leaned in, observing his reflection in the shiny silver metal. There were very few signs the sword had ever been used. Though that was likely just a testament to his future self's care of the weapon.

Sasuke wrapped his fingers around the sword handle, feeling a surge run up his arm as he began to pull the blade all the way out. However, the bathroom door swung open and Sasuke immediately pushed the sword back in. He jumped away, swiping the clothes off the floor while his older self came out with a white towel wrapped around his waist.

The preteen was certain his older self was going to notice the guilty expression on his face, but the teen merely took his clothes from him, not even muttering a thanks—but Sasuke never really thanked people, did he?—and went back into the bathroom to change.

The preteen breathed a sigh of relief and looked back towards the sword, but didn't dare risk examining it again, which proved a smart choice since his older self came out within seconds.

The teen strapped the sword onto the black bandages around his waist before facing Sasuke and saying, "We should head back."

Sasuke thought it strange that his older self was taking the lead, he seemed more bored than anything during Team 7's missions, though Sasuke had caught the teen writing what appeared to be letters during missions sometimes.

Still, the twelve-year old followed the teen down the stairs and out of the district, eventually crossing into a backstreet section lined with wooden fences.

However, at an intersection, his older self turned left and Sasuke paused. "Hey," the teen glanced back and Sasuke pointed right, "You know the Academy is this way."

The teen smirked over his high collar. "I know." He then continued walking the wrong way and Sasuke frowned.

Yet soon his older self raised his voice to say, "I think you'd find things more interesting over here."

Sasuke's face lit with surprise because it sounded like the teen was hinting about the future, which his older self hadn't really done before unless Sasuke directly asked him. It must be important if the teen felt the need to warn Sasuke about it.

The younger Uchiha hurried after the teen, slowing when he found his future self stopped and staring straight ahead. The preteen followed his gaze and his eyes widened.

A Suna ninja wearing purple face paint held a young Konoha boy in his grasp, dangling the child with his fist held up, and what was a Suna-nin— _two_ Suna-nin, because the blonde girl behind him was one too—doing this far in Konoha?

Sasuke spotted pink behind the Suna-nin and his heart accelerated because Sakura was standing by the foreign ninja, clearly outnumbered. The preteen soon noticed Naruto there also and knew the idiot was going to do something reckless unless he acted quickly, so mind going into overdrive, Sasuke concocted a plan to save his teammates and the Konoha child.

"What are you waiting for?" Sasuke startled, whipping back to the teen who raised a brow. "Shouldn't you be posturing already?"

Sasuke sputtered. "I don't postur—"

The teen gave him a look that asked if he was really going to try lying to himself.

Cheeks turning red, Sasuke glared at the teen, but still followed through on his plan. He picked up a few rocks from the ground because Sasuke wasn't sure why the Suna ninja were here, but if they were welcomed guests and not intruders, using actual weapons on them could get him in serious trouble.

Then Sasuke leapt soundlessly onto a nearby tree, narrowing his eyes as the male Suna-nin pulled back his fist. "After this squirt, it's the little runt who won't shut up!" The Suna boy shouted, throwing forward his hand.

Sasuke analyzed the punch's trajectory for a second before flicking his rock at the Suna-nin's hand.

Blood flew through the air, the child was dropped, and Sasuke tossed his remaining rock up and down in his palm, prepared to throw it at any moment while the Suna boy’s head swung over to him. 

"What do you think you're doing in someone else's Village?" Sasuke asked coolly, eyes trained on the scowling Suna-nin while also making sure to keep the female Suna shinobi in his sight as well.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cheered, but the Uchiha didn't pay her any attention, more concerned with the weird look the blonde Suna girl was giving him. Why was her face turning red? Was she angry Sasuke had struck her companion?

"Nii-chan!"

The little Konoha boy ran away to Naruto and Sakura, joining them and two other young children.

Sasuke's rage flared, seeing the little kids appeared barely Academy age while the foreign ninja looked older than Sasuke, and he glared hard at the Suna-nin, crushing the rock to dust in his hand. "Get lost."

Sakura squealed again while the Suna boy attempted to goad Sasuke into coming down, but Sasuke wasn't stupid. He could tell simply from the way the Suna shinobi were holding themselves that they were no low level genin, so Sasuke's hand inched towards his weapons pouch as the male Suna shinobi unwrapped that strange weapon on his back.

"Kankuro, stop that."

Sasuke's eyes widened, as did everyone else's at the sudden appearance of a redheaded boy in the tree beside Sasuke, for when did he get here? And so close?

Sasuke's black orbs slid over to the redhead who was exerting perfect chakra control to stand on the underside of the branch on Sasuke's right. The boy looked about Sasuke's age, yet his stealthy footsteps were jonin level, on par with Kakashi and his future self's movements.

"I'll kill you."

The Suna boy in black broke out in sweat, raising his hands and smiling nervously while the boy with the gourd glared at him.

Sasuke understood the Suna boy's fear once the redhead's pale green eyes landed on him, making Sasuke’s adrenaline spike as he said, "I'm sorry for that..." The other boy's face was expressionless, but his green eyes were cruel.

Sasuke stood while the redhead disappeared in a whirl of sand and materialized beside the other two Suna shinobi. "Let's go. We didn't come here to play around," the redhead ordered, clearly the one in charge despite being the youngest in the group.

"Hold it!" Sakura rushed forward and Sasuke whipped towards her. What was the girl thinking bringing attention to herself!?

"State your business. Depending on the circumstances..." Sakura's body shifted into a loose fighting stance, and while a small part of Sasuke admired Sakura's courage for confronting the foreign ninja as any loyal Konoha shinobi should, the kunoichi would be no match against the Suna shinobi, especially not for the boy with the gourd.

Yet Sasuke didn't have to intervene as the blonde Suna girl held up her permit. "As you said, we're Sunagakure genin from the Land of Wind."

Sasuke's brow drew together. So the Suna ninja were here legally, but why?

"They're here to take the Chunin Exam."

Sasuke's future self suddenly came behind Sakura, shocking Naruto into falling over himself while the younger children shrieked.

The Suna girl's eyes expanded, clearly also shocked to the point her face turned red.

"Uchiha-san!?" Naruto leapt to his feet, waving his arms wildly. "When did you get here?" He frowned, recalling what the teen had said. "And what's the Chunin Exam?"

The teen didn't answer, staring intently at the Suna girl. "I want to talk to you."

The foreign girl's entire face turned scarlet. "M-me?" Her voice was shrill, eyes fluttering rapidly.

"Yes," the teenage Uchiha crossed his arms, "I'll send a hawk to your apartment later giving you details on when and where to meet me."

The blonde girl seemed shocked, but nodded. "S-sure! I'll wait eagerly for it!" She quickly spun on her heels and stiffly walked away, the boys following her, and Sasuke leapt down.

"Hey! You there..." Sasuke's eyes were on the redhead as the the trio stopped and looked back. "What's your name?"

The boy with the gourd stared Sasuke straight in the eyes as he said, "I'm Gaara of the desert..." A strange emotion flickered in his green orbs. "I have an interest in you as well... What's your name?"

Sasuke smirked, spirit humming with anticipation at the clear challenge in the boy's voice. "Uchiha Sasuke," he gladly revealed.

However, Gaara's eyes glided past Sasuke to the teenage Uchiha. "And you...are you a genin?"

Gaara had clearly noticed the headband hanging from the teen's waist, yet the older Uchiha shook his head. "No, I'm just a guy looking out for his little cousin." He looked pointedly at Sasuke and though the preteen was mildly offended by the "little" comment, he supposed it wouldn't make sense to tell foreign ninja the truth about them.

The redhead seemed unbothered by the news, merely nodding before turning away and ignoring Naruto's attempt to get his attention.

Sasuke waited until the Sand trio were gone from sight before turning to the teenager. "Why are you meeting with that Suna girl?"

"Y-yeah, why?" Sakura jumped in, mouth twitching nervously and gaze strangely intense. "Do you..." The girl's eyes fell to the floor and she seemed to fold into herself. "Know her in the future?"

The teen stared flatly at her. "If you mean was that my girlfriend, then no."

Sasuke was surprised, having not realized why Sakura was acting weird while the pink-haired girl appeared greatly relieved. However, Naruto suddenly left the trio of small children to shout. "Uchiha-san has a girlfriend!?"

Naruto looked horrified. "Don't tell me the teme!" He pointed at Sasuke who scowled. "Is going to beat me at dating Sakura-chan!"

The teen's face twitched in annoyance. "No."

The blond was about to calm when Sakura raised her fist at him. "Where do you get off acting like you have a chance with me, baka!" The kunoichi roared and Naruto quickly hid behind the teenage Uchiha.

"Sorry, Naruto," the teen said, sounding very much unrepentant as he grabbed Sasuke's shoulder. "Kakashi canceled the rest of today's missions, right? Then I've got no reason to stick around."

Suddenly the world whirled around Sasuke until they were in front of the Uchiha district gate and the preteen realized his older self had shunshin them there.

"Let's train." The teen began without prompt. "Thirty laps around the district." The teen ordered, already leaping onto the nearest housetop and Sasuke quickly followed, but spoke as they ran.

"Is the Chunin Exam starting soon?" Sasuke wondered if that was why the teen was rushing into training.

"If you can catch up to me I'll answer your questions." Sasuke's eyes widened as the teen suddenly pulled ahead, rounding a corner so fast Sasuke almost didn't see where he went.

"Hey!" Sasuke called, yet seeing the teen was getting farther away, the preteen frowned determinedly and sprung into the air after the older Uchiha.

* * *

Sasuke never did catch up to his future self, but the older boy answered his questions anyway, and two days later everything went exactly like his older self said it would.

Kakashi gave them applications for the Chunin Exam and told them they wouldn't have any missions or training for the next five days so they could have time to decide whether to take the test.

Sasuke smirked as they left the jonin, walking down the dirt path beside Naruto and Sakura while contemplating that Gaara of the desert. The red-haired boy seemed a worthy opponent to test his new abilities on and Sasuke wondered if he would get to fight him before realizing he didn't have to wonder, he could just ask.

"Will I get to fight Gaara during the Exam?" Sasuke asked the teenager.

"Yes," the older boy frowned, "Though my fight against him was interrupted." Sasuke's expression fell until the teen added. "I'll ensure your fight won't be cut short this time, assuming you don't end up with a different opponent."

Naruto suddenly leapt between the two Uchiha, making Sasuke glower. "Say, say, will I get to fight Sasuke during the Exam?"

The teen never got to reply as Sakura reached over and whacked Naruto on his head. "Baka! You know sensei told us not to ask Uchiha-san about the future."

The seventeen-year old Uchiha blinked. Huh, that explained why Naruto hadn't been pestering him for information on his future self like the teen expected. Though the younger Uchiha probably wasn't given the same order since the two Uchiha living in the same house practically guaranteed future secrets coming out.

"But Kakashi isn't here!" Naruto's mouth curved into a mischievous grin. "He'll never find out if you tell me, right, Uchiha-san?"

"I'm not telling you anything, Naruto." The teen leveled a hard stare on the Uzumaki because if he answered the blond once the boy would never stop asking him questions.

"Aww," Naruto deflated, but the teen was unmoved.

The older Uchiha turned to his younger self. "Your training is going to be different for the next few days, no more laps around the district or agility exercises."

Sasuke listened intently, knowing his older self hated repeating himself. "Focus only on summoning larger hawks for the next five days, and go easy on your personal training."

Sasuke wanted to know why his summoning jutsu was so important, but Naruto once again interrupted. "You're training that baka!? Isn't that cheating, you know!"

The teen gave Naruto a long look. "You do realize every time you insult him you're technically insulting me?"

Naruto blinked. "O-oh..." He rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "Sorry, Uchiha-nii-chan."

The teen sent the boy a withering glare. "What did I say about calling me that?"

"Naruto," Sasuke called and the blond turned to him warily. "It's like when we sparred a couple of weeks ago." The blond's eyes lit up with surprise since the Uchiha never willing acknowledged his defeat at Naruto's hand. "I used a jutsu to summon my future self so technically any advice I take from him is just me 'using my resources'." He smirked, throwing Naruto's own words back at him.

Naruto's face reddened, brows slanting in defiance. Yet he couldn't argue as the preteen continued. "If you don't want to fall behind..." His tone grew challenging. "You just need to become stronger than me."

Naruto's shock morphed into anger and his fists balled up while he raised them in front of his chest. Sasuke asked himself why he was goading the blond, but maybe a part of Sasuke wanted to fight Naruto, to show the idiot he was the stronger one now.

The teen caught his shoulder. "Come on, we need to get back to training." Sasuke nodded and the two quickly walked ahead, leaving Naruto and Sakura behind.

For the next few days Sasuke followed his older self’s instructions and performed chakra-building exercises until one evening during sunset, while they were departing from a public training field, a foreign Ame-nin sprung out of a bush and launched himself at Sasuke.

Even low on chakra, the preteen took the man out with a single taijutsu move, leaping up and kicking the foreign shinobi to the ground.

The foreign ninja quickly fled after that and Sasuke turned to the teen who hadn't bothered moving from the tree he was leaning against and asked, "You noticed that guy before I did, didn't you?"

The teen just stared, which Sasuke took for an agreement, so continued. "Why didn't you warn me?"

The teen scoffed, straightening up from the tree. "Do you really expect me to warn you about every little thing coming your way?" His eyes narrowed. "I had even less resources than you did, and survived, you can do the same. Be grateful I bother telling you anything."

Sasuke's expression soured, but the teen did have a point. His older self had managed without any future insight, so technically he didn't have to warn Sasuke about every minor battle.

Anger abated, Sasuke followed his older self's directions and spent the day before the Chunin Exam performing only light exercises and summoning the largest hawks he could. He smirked when the birds started reaching up to Sasuke's waist and went to bed that night confident he could overcome any challenge the next day would bring.

In the morning Sasuke and his older self were the first to arrive at the Academy, Naruto eventually joining them and finally Sakura.

The pink-haired girl was acting strange, her greeting quieter than normal and shadows ringing her eyes while she trailed after him and Naruto mechanically into the school hallway.

Clearly Sasuke wasn't the only one who noticed because his future self regarded the girl. "Is there something on your mind, Sakura?"

The girl started, eyes fluttering and pink tinting her cheeks upon seeing the older Uchiha's attention on her. "N-no, I'm fine, Uchiha-san." She said plainly, trying not to melt under the weight of those obsidian orbs on her. However, the teen continued to stare, falling back alongside her while Naruto and his younger self went ahead.

"You have a question for me, don't you?" The teen asked in that voice, even deeper and smoother than the preteen Uchiha's, and something about it broke her.

Sakura's face tilted down and she pressed her fingers together nervously. "Am I really that easy to read?"

The teen didn't respond, so tentatively she began. "Kaka-sensei said not to ask about the future, so I can't—"

"Kakashi isn't here right now." The teen bluntly interrupted, though not unkindly. "Ask away."

Sakura felt a little wrong breaking her sensei's rule, but the question had been plaguing her for weeks, and her trepidation over the Chunin Exam only made it worse. Therefore, face screwing up and cheeks flaming, the kunoichi rushed out. "Did you pick her because she's stronger than me?"

The teen hummed. "You mean did I pick my girlfriend because she was stronger than Haruno Sakura?" He smirked, and a brief chuckle escaped him as he shook his head. "No, in terms of strength the future you and her would be equals."

Sakura's eyes widened as the older Uchiha explained. "When she was our age, she took the Chunin Exam and didn't make it past the first stage so, no, it's not her strength I respect." He looked Sakura straight in her eyes. "It's her will...her will to become something stronger than she was."

Sakura's heart lurched in her chest, mouth falling open. She'd thought for sure Sasuke had fallen for his girlfriend's strength—as the preteen Uchiha had made it clear he didn't much care for physical beauty—but if it was her will...

Sakura scowled, hands curling up at her sides. Then all hope wasn't lost! She could still impress Sasuke even if she wasn't strongest kunoichi, her will to become stronger would just have to outweigh any other kunoichi's in the Exam!

The teenage Uchiha smirked, hanging back with the crowd of genin in the hallway as Sakura marched ahead while his younger self detected the genjutsu over the floor number and Sakura confidently pointed out the genjutsu trick.

It seemed Sasuke's plan was back on track. The teen may have made a mistake earlier in regards to Sakura and Naruto, nearly turning his younger self against him since the teen had forgotten how strong the bond between him and Team 7 had been when he was twelve. However, Sasuke was now certain killing his two teammates would be a terrible waste, especially considering the power lying inside Naruto.

No, Sasuke was going to keep his teammates alive, and use them to ensure Konoha's destruction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter would have taken way longer to write, but you all gave me such wonderful feedback and support last time, so this update is for all you amazing people 😄 
> 
> Next time: Older!Sasuke encounters some old enemies and Younger!Sasuke encounters a certain snake...


	5. Chapter 5

Sasuke and his teammates were approaching the exit when an exuberant voice called. "You, with the unpleasant look! Wait a minute!"

They stopped behind a pillar in the middle of the spacious room and turned back to see a bowl-haired boy wearing a green jumpsuit staring down at them from the balcony level.

Sakura choked on a scream at seeing the bushy-browed boy again while Sasuke, noticing the older genin's eyes were on him, asked, "What is it?"

"Why don't you fight me here and now?" The jumpsuit boy asked, expression determined.

"A fight here _now_?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed, assessing if the other genin was serious.

"Yes!" The older genin leapt down from the balcony with a cat's grace, hardly making a sound as he landed and rose from his crouch. "My name's Rock Lee." He aimed his bandaged thumb towards his chest before pointing at the black-haired preteen. "When asking a person their name I'm supposed to give my own first, right, Uchiha Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke's brow rose. He didn't think anybody from that Hyuga's team recognized him, but apparently this Rock Lee had noticed the clan emblem on his shirt.

"I want to fight you!" Rock Lee insisted, stretching out into a combative stance. "I want to test out how effective my techniques will be against the descendent of a clan reputed for genius ninja." His dark orbs slid over to the teenage Uchiha. "And if not you, I would like to fight your older brother!"

Sasuke's face twitched at the error, yet the teenager was impassive as he corrected. "Actually, I'm his cousin."

Rock Lee inclined his head. "I see, but you are still a descendent of the Uchiha, right?" The teen nodded. "Then I would gladly fight you as well. Also..." His eyes fell upon Sakura, much to the kunoichi's horror.

Clearly Rock Lee wanted to impress the girl by defeating Sasuke, perhaps having picked up on Sakura's affection for the Uchiha, and though Sasuke didn't care much for Rock Lee's reasoning, the idea of fighting the bowl-haired boy was tempting. The older genin had moved incredibly fast earlier when they met in the hallway, meaning he would be a good opponent to test out how much Sasuke's speed had improved.

Decision made, Sasuke raised his face and said, "You're a naive one, knowing the Uchiha name and challenging me." A dangerous light flashed across his ebony orbs. "Do you want to learn what this name means, Bushy-Brow?"

Rock Lee grinned, raising his hand in a fight pose. "I insist."

"Wait!"

Sasuke turned to Naruto who was glowering at Rock Lee. "I am going to take out the Bushy-Brow. Believe it!" He stepped forward, hands balling up. "I'll take care of him in five minutes!"

"And he'll knock you out in five seconds."

The blond jerked back and swiveled towards the teenage Uchiha while the teen stared coolly at him. "Trust me, Naruto, that's _exactly_ how it will go."

Naruto's eyes widened, realizing what the Uchiha was implying. Yet after a moment his fists clenched tighter and he huffed. "I don't care!" He twisted around and sprinted towards Rock Lee, launching his fist at the bowl-haired boy's head.

However, the older genin merely jabbed Naruto's hand aside without his gaze ever leaving Sasuke.

Shocked, Sakura gasped and Sasuke reassessed Rock Lee's prowess as Naruto fell to the side and landed in a handstand.

"Darn it!" Naruto growled, glaring back at Rock Lee and kicking at the bowl-cut boy.

Yet Rock Lee angled his head left to dodge, and in a fluid motion, crouched and swept the blond's arms out.

Naruto tumbled onto his back with a screech, spinning like a turtle rolled on its shell until he smacked into the concrete wall hard enough to rattle the whole room. There, he slumped unconscious.

Rock Lee stood up. "You are absolutely no match for me," he told the Uchiha, gaze unwavering.

Sasuke's brow furrowed, the preteen recalling Rock Lee's earlier show of strength in the hallway when he caught Sasuke's kick while also blocking an attack from the guy who placed a genjutsu over the floor number. It appeared this Rock Lee might not be bluffing as he claimed to be the strongest Leaf genin.

Sasuke turned to his future self who was staring at Rock Lee neutrally, silently asking if this fight would be worth it.

The teen didn't bother looking his way as he replied. "Just don't forget what I've taught you."

Sasuke blinked, hearing the approval of him wanting to fight as well as a warning. However, his older self's phrasing was too vague to decipher what exactly he was cautioning him about, so Sasuke simply nodded. Then he turned to Rock Lee and smirked. "Interesting. I'll do it."

Sakura glanced at the clock hanging high on the wall and frowned. "Sasuke-kun, there's less than thirty minutes until the three o'clock registration."

"Don't worry." Sasuke pulled his hands out of his pockets and curled them into fists. "It will be over in five minutes."

The Uchiha didn't give the girl a chance to respond as he ran straight at the bushy-browed genin, not bothering to use his top speed once he saw Rock Lee wasn't trying to move out of the way. Sasuke inwardly scoffed at the older boy's arrogance because maybe Rock Lee was fast, but after all the training he'd done with his future self, he couldn't be faster than Sasuke.

The Uchiha drove his fist towards the boy's head, anticipating an easy hit, only for Rock Lee to disappear before his eyes.

Sasuke pulled back, halting his momentum and twisting around just in time to see Rock Lee's foot swinging at his face.

"Leaf Hurricane!"

The preteen ducked under the limb, but almost immediately Rock Lee was launching another kick towards his chin.

There was no time to move away—the older boy was faster than Sasuke expected—so he raised his arms to guard.

And Rock Lee's foot shot over his arms, striking his cheek and sending Sasuke flying back.

The Uchiha's body sparked with pain as he dropped harshly onto the ground and slid across the floorboards. Arms trembling and cheek throbbing, Sasuke pushed himself up on his knees and stared at the older boy in disbelief. How did Rock Lee get past his guard? Had he placed a genjutsu over Sasuke? Or used a ninjutsu move he'd never seen...

Sasuke stiffened. Wait...that speed... Rock Lee's movements... Sasuke _did_ recognize them.

The preteen turned to his older self who stood beside Sakura, arms crossed and cool gaze on Sasuke.

_"I'm going to set the pace, use your sharingan to match my movements..."_

Rock Lee wasn't using ninjutsu or genjutsu, his fighting style didn't require chakra at all. Sasuke knew this because Rock Lee's movements were near identical to his future self's as they ran laps around the Uchiha district, and had the teen been preparing him for this match all along?

The teenager smirked and Sasuke knew the older Uchiha could tell he had put it together. Therefore, the preteen stood up and grinned triumphantly at Rock Lee.

"Your techniques are all taijutsu." Sasuke's dark smile broadened as surprise flooded Rock Lee's face. "In that case, I know what to do." His eyes melted into his sharingan.

Rock Lee tensed, clearly recognizing the Kekkei Genkai, while Sasuke rushed forward at his top speed. Sakura gasped behind him likely because from her perspective Sasuke had moved so fast he seemed to vanish.

Rock Lee was also surprised, mouth falling open as Sasuke suddenly appeared in front of him with his fist racing towards the bowl-cut boy's face.

Yet Rock Lee darted behind Sasuke at the last second, and caught off guard, the Uchiha barely ducked under Rock Lee's following high kick, his foot brushing over Sasuke's hair.

The older boy scowled at the miss and kicked towards Sasuke's side, but the Uchiha leapt back.

Rock Lee's face hardened, and the boy suddenly came at Sasuke with a flurry of strikes and kicks. The Uchiha barely dodged each one, desperately ducking and weaving around Rock Lee's arms and legs.

For a full three minutes Sasuke couldn't think about anything except avoiding a hit, but right as he was growing tired, Rock Lee hesitated between strikes and the Uchiha immediately threw a punch of his own.

His fist collided with Rock Lee's ankle and something hard and metalic—leg weights?—cracked against his knuckles and rattled his bones.

The Uchiha hissed, enitre arm sagging with pain, and Rock Lee swiftly took advantage. He grabbed Sasuke's wrist, yanking the younger boy towards him, and slammed his elbow into the preteen's chest.

Sasuke choked and staggered backwards into the wall as Rock Lee released him, his head banging against the concrete while a newly-awakened Naruto watched in shock. "Sasuke!"

The Uchiha curled an arm around his injured chest, breathing unevenly as Rock Lee regarded him from across the room. Sasuke looked up and his eyes widened at seeing the other boy was also breathing heavily, a bead of sweat running past his bushy eyebrows. Had...had Sasuke actually tired him out?

"You're faster than I anticipated," Rock Lee admitted breathlessly. "I guess I should have expected as much from a member of a genius clan."

Although Rock Lee's tone was sincere, Sasuke's anger blazed because despite all of the training Sasuke had endured for the past three weeks this guy was faster than him. Even with his sharingan Sasuke could barely keep up and it wasn't _fair_.

Battle cry spilling from his lips, Sasuke ran at the boy, intent on delivering a powerful blow. Yet he regretted his rashness when Rock Lee calmly ducked under his punch and swung up his leg.

Sasuke tried to guard, but worn down by the long fight, he was too slow to stop Rock Lee's foot from slipping under his arms and smashing into his chin.

The Uchiha was launched up high and couldn't reorient himself before Rock Lee appeared behind him in the air.

Sasuke craned his neck back with wide eyes as the older genin said, "Now I will prove that effort exceeds the genius of any clan."

Rock Lee's fingers arched, bandage unwinding from his hand and Sasuke's stomach plummeted because he didn't know what was coming, but whatever it was, his energy was too depleted for him to even try defending himself against it.

"It's my victory!"

Sasuke heard the bandage flapping in the wind behind him, felt the atmosphere tremble at the strike sure to come, and mentally braced himself for the pain when a voice shouted. "That's as far as it goes Lee!"

The older genin abruptly disappeared from behind him, and Sasuke blinked, wondering what had happened. Yet lacking the strength to turn around and see for himself, Sasuke could only fall bonelessly towards the ground, unable to even twitch without his muscles flaring in pain.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura screamed and Sasuke glimpsed the girl's terrified expression from his peripheral sight as she sped under him.

His weakened body fell into her arms, head smacking against her collarbone as they slid across the floorboards.

"Sasuke-kun, are you okay?" The kunoichi asked once they stopped, slinging the Uchiha's arm around her thin shoulders and helping him sit up on his knees.

Yet Sasuke could hardly hear her, his gaze stuck on Rock Lee while a large, red turtle lectured the bushy-browed boy. And how did that guy beat him? Why was he faster?

Naruto came over to them, asking something about the turtle summon, but Sasuke couldn't look away from Rock Lee as he forced his aching body to stand and wiped the blood from his chin. That flippant, bushy-browed boy had beaten Sasuke. _How?_

"You lasted longer than I did against him."

Sasuke spun back to his future self who stared at him, expression placid while Sasuke stuttered. "I...I did?"

The teen nodded. "If your stamina was better, you would have beaten him." He looked over to Rock Lee while Sasuke realized that was the closest to a compliment the teenager had ever given him.

Pride filled Sasuke's heart, and though it still stung to have lost, he stood a little taller as he and his teammates left the room.

"Are...we the last team?" Sakura asked, appearing a little harried as she scanned the vacant hallway.

Apparently Sasuke's fight against Rock Lee had lasted for ten minutes, which explained why he felt so drained.

Naruto scoffed, arms folded behind his head as he glared at his dark-haired teammate. "I guess the Uchiha clan's not all that if you couldn't even beat that Bushy-Brow."

Sasuke sneered. "Neither could you."

Naruto opened his mouth to retort, but he noticed something ahead and stopped. "Huh, Kaka-sensei?"

Sasuke looked up to see their jonin instructor was indeed standing in front of Room 301. The man was examining them, gaze sharper than usual until his eye fell on the kunoichi.

"I see. Sakura, you've come, too."

Sasuke thought it odd the jonin would single Sakura out, and the girl noticed this as well, asking, "What do you mean?"

"Actually," Kakashi shrugged, looking away, "From the start, only three-man squads could apply and take the exams."

Naruto gasped and Sasuke was surprised, though any indignation he felt over the trick was tempered when Kakashi explained his reasons for lying. Sasuke and Naruto definitely would have convinced Sakura to sign up for the exams regardless of her feelings on the matter, and they might have suffered for it if Sakura only took the exams half-heartedly.

"But you guys came here on your own will." The Hatake's tone lightened. "Sakura! Naruto! And Sasuke!" Kakashi smiled warmly with his eye. "I'm glad you came! You're a team I'm proud of." He moved aside. "Now, go on!"

Sasuke and Sakura stepped forward to open the double doors and Naruto cheered. "Okay, let's go!" He rushed into the room and his teammates followed, none of the genin noticing the hard look the teenage Uchiha sent Kakashi as he passed him.

"I talked to the exam proctors." The teen paused in the doorway, but didn't face the man as he said, "They won't make you partake in any part of the Exam unless you ask to."

The teen gave a barely discernible nod and then strode in after his younger self, pretending not to see the hurt in the Hatake's gaze as the doors closed on him.

The seventeen-year old told himself his ex-sensei deserved it while his younger self and his teammates stood rigidly as they gazed at the other genin crowding the room.

"W-what's with...this?" Sakura whispered, seeing shinobi, foreign and Leaf, over twice her age glaring at her. "There are so many..."

Team 7 stood as some of the youngest ninja in the room and Sakura stepped back warily, but then she noticed the teenage Uchiha behind her and froze. No, she couldn't back down. She had to show Sasuke how great her will was!

Sakura gulped and straightened up, steading her hands right as a saccharine voice called. "Sasuke-kun, you're late!"

Sakura spun around to witness Ino latching onto Sasuke from the back, her arms curling over his chest. Immediately a storm raged in Sakura's heart because she was already competing with Sasuke's future girlfriend and now she had to fight off Ino too.

"Get away from Sasuke-kun, Ino-Pig!" Sakura marched over to them while Sasuke's eye twitched as he was caught between the girl's squabbling until abruptly Ino stiffened, her eyes falling on the teenage Uchiha.

"Who...?" Ino slid off Sasuke, staring slack-jawed at the teen. "You look just like Sasuke!" Her eyes flicked from one boy to the next. "But I thought there weren't any other Uchiha."

Sasuke frowned at the reminder while his older self shrugged. "That's what we both thought until we ran into each other a few weeks ago."

"So the rumor is true?" Shikamaru strolled over to the group with Choji munching on chips beside him. "I heard Sasuke found his long-lost brother on a mission, but I thought everybody was making a fuss over a baseless rumor." The Nara slouched, though there was a keenness to his eyes as he analyzed the teen. “How troublesome.”

Kiba, overhearing their conversation, came over with Shino and Hinata following as he asked, "Another Uchiha?" His nose twitched while he examined the teen up and down. "You do look a lot like Sasuke, and you smell really similar too..." He cocked an eyebrow at the teenager. "What are you, half-siblings or something?"

Everyone stiffened, all of their eyes widening at the implication, though Naruto merely looked confused. Sasuke, however, felt his face burn and teeth grind because that was _ridiculous_. His father had never— And to think of his mother ever betraying his father—

The younger Uchiha was going to set the Inuzuka ablaze when his future self scoffed. "No." The teen was impassive, but Sasuke thought his voice was firmer than usual as he said, "I'm his cousin."

Kiba frowned and the dog resting on top of his head released a confused growl. "You're right, Akamaru. They smell way too similar to—"

"Hey!" An older boy with gray hair tied back in a ponytail and round glasses framing his face approached the group. "You guys should be a little quieter." He surveyed the genin, and Sasuke thought his eyes lingered on him.

"You're the 'Rookie Nine'…fresh out of the Academy, right?" The older genin sighed. "Carrying on like that with cute faces...man. This isn't a field trip."

Ino, insulted, raised her fist. "Who're you to be acting all haughtily!?"

The gray-haired boy smiled. "I'm Yakushi Kabuto." His grin fell a little. "Anyway, take a good look around you."

All of the rookies did, most of them faltering at the mean looks and snide glares the room's other occupants were sending them.

"Everyone's tense before an Exam. I thought I'd warn you guys..." Kabuto trailed off, finally noticing the teenage Uchiha behind the group.

His eyes widened, and an odd emotion twisted his features for a moment before his expression mellowed out. "Strange," he blinked curiously, "I thought there was only _one_ Uchiha left in Konoha."

His future self shrugged. "I didn't even know there were any other Uchiha beside myself until I ran into my little cousin near the Land of Waves." He clasped Sasuke's shoulder familiarly and the preteen resisted the urge to bat him away.

"Really?" Kabuto smiled kindly. "A surprise family reunion, how nice." He turned to Sasuke. "You must be glad to have someone who can help you train your sharingan."

Sasuke's brow drew together, sensing something off with Kabuto's statement, while his older self shook his head. "Unfortunately, I can't."

Kabuto frowned. "I don't have the sharingan." The teen waved between himself and Sasuke. "We clearly have a common ancestor, but my grandfather was the only full-blooded Uchiha in my family, and none of his children ever obtained the sharingan so I doubt I will either."

Sasuke stared intently at his older self, wondering why the teen would lie about having the pride of the Uchiha clan. Though he didn't question his future self aloud, knowing the other boy wouldn't lie without good reason. Sakura must have thought the same because she hastily trapped Naruto in a chokehold when the blond opened his mouth to question the teen.

"That is…a shame." Kabuto sounded almost disappointed. "Konoha could have used another sharingan user." He sighed before turning back to the other genin. "Well, as I was saying, you're rookies who don't know left from right…"

Kabuto went on to explain the real aim of the Chunin Exam and what type of genin were participating. All of the rookies listened in rapt wonder, except for Sasuke who was busy watching his future self. The teenager appeared stoic, but there was an hard edge to his gaze as he observed Kabuto.

Later, after Sasuke successfully completed the first part of the Exam, he and his future self walked home from the Academy, and the preteen said, "You know Kabuto." He didn't pose it as a question, having learned his future self was likely to ignore a direct questioning.

The teen glanced at him, and Sasuke took a gamble based on the teenager lying to Kabuto, so asked, "Is he your enemy?"

"Not yet." His older self admitted, but Sasuke couldn't interrogate him further before the teen added. "Not ever," his eyes narrowed, "If I take care of him now."

Sasuke frowned. "Take care of him?"

A sense of dread washed over the preteen while his future self sent him a flat look. "You're pathetic." Sasuke flinched at the teen's harsh tone. "How do you expect to kill Danzō or Itachi with that attitude?"

Sasuke scowled, face hardening. "That's different."

"Is it?" The teen looked up at the blue sky, and Sasuke wasn't sure if he was being rhetorical, so kept quiet until they reached their house.

Once again the preteen went easy on his afternoon training, focusing mostly on his hawk summoning and chakra manipulation. Therefore, he wasn't so exhausted to fall asleep the second his head touched the pillow.

Instead, the preteen laid back on his bed in the dark room and stared at the ceiling while his thoughts drifted towards that dreadful night. He fought to keep his breathing steady as he recalled running through the unlit streets and stumbling upon twisted bodies and bloodied kunai.

He didn't dwell on the memory of Itachi standing over their parent's corpses, certain no one except them had been in that room, and winced as he recalled running out of the house wailing.

_"D-don't kill me!"_

Sasuke shoved that memory aside as he searched the images in his head for any sign a third person had been in the Uchiha compound that night. Maybe the person his future self spoke of had been watching from a safe distance? Behind a corner? Upon a rooftop?

The Uchiha started when a loud thump broke the silence and his head snapped over to where his older self laid in his futon. The teen's eyes were closed, but his hands were clenched tightly around his covers and his chest was rising and falling rapidly.

The younger Uchiha sat up as the teen's face twisted and he gasped. "Wait…no…"

Jumbled words spilled from the teen's lips and Sasuke finally recognized his future self was having a nightmare. He quickly slid out of bed, but stopped. Should he wake the teen up? Or would it be better to let him be?

After all, Sasuke hated being seen as weak, which was why it had been mortifying the one time Kakashi witnessed him having a nightmare during an overnight mission. The man had the decency to act like he didn't notice the tears in Sasuke's eyes and after Sasuke declined to talk about it, the jonin merely went back to reading his book like nothing happened.

The preteen bit his lip as his future self's mutterings grew louder and more desperate. However, when it sounded like the teen was starting to cry, he decided to wake him.

Sasuke crouched beside the futon while the older boy choked. "Don't go..." The preteen reached for his shoulder as the teen whispered. " _Nii-san_ …"

Sasuke froze. He hadn't uttered that word in _years,_ so what could have compelled his future self to?

The teen's breath hitched and Sasuke got ahold of himself, deciding the teen must be dreaming of a time before the massacre as he shook his shoulder.

The Uchiha lurched up, eyes flying open and hand yanking up something silver, which Sasuke realized was a kunai as the knife dove towards his neck.

It stopped an inch away, his future self's hand jerking wildly to the left and stabbing the metal into the floorboards, an involuntary action caused by their bond.

The teen was panting, staring at Sasuke with wild-eyes and sweat trickling down his forehead.

The preteen stared back in shock, having never seen such a terrified expression on the teen's face.

Yet soon the teen blinked and his features went blank as clarity entered his eyes.

Once Sasuke was certain the teen remembered where he was, he offered. "You were...having a nightmare."

The teen's breathing calmed and his hand released its death grip on the kunai as he slowly turned towards the floor.

Sasuke waited for him to speak, but his future self merely continued staring at the ground, and growing uncomfortable, the preteen said, "You never explained your sharingan."

The teen turned to him, black orbs still a little larger than normal. Though in a flash his eyes narrowed as he recognized Sasuke's attempt to distract him, and the preteen expected him to get angry. However, the older boy seemed to think about it, and eventually nodded.

"No," the teen closed his eyes, "I haven't." He opened them to reveal his sharingan. "This is the _eternal_ mangekyō sharingan, it's higher than the regular mangekyō."

Sasuke leaned forward, peering into those red irises. "What makes them higher?"

"They don't require as much chakra and won't cause you to go blind."

Sasuke balked at the blunt explanation. "Blind?"

The teen deactivated his sharingan. "The regular mangekyō eventually makes you go blind."

Sasuke leaned back in shock. "It does?" His forehead wrinkled. "How long can you use it without losing your vision?"

"Depends." The teen shrugged. "I lost my vision after a few battles, but Itachi kept most of his for years."

Sasuke's eyes fluttered as he tried to digest that information. "But...you're not blind."

The teen looked away. "That's because I had eye surgery to obtain the eternal mangekyō."

"Oh..." Sasuke didn't quite understand, but he sensed his future self's patience wearing thin, so let it go.

His instincts proved right as the teen looked at the clock on his nightstand and turned to him with a stern look. "You should go back to sleep, tomorrow's exam won't be as easy as today's."

Sasuke didn't argue, and moved back to climb into his bed while the teen pulled his kunai out of the floor and slid it back under his pillow. The preteen went under the covers as his older self did the same, but he didn't lie down just yet.

Maybe it was the fact it was too dark to see his future self's expression or perhaps he was more tired than he thought, but Sasuke dared to ask, "Was it worth it?"

The teen stilled, then slowly faced him. "What?" He asked quietly.

Sasuke swallowed thickly. "Was...was what you had to do to get the mangekyō worth it?"

The teen didn't make a sound for a long moment, and neither did Sasuke as he held his breath.

It felt like an eternity passed before finally the teen's head bowed and he said, "They let me kill them." Sasuke jolted, eyes widening. "They made me think they had betrayed me, forced me to fight them, and it wasn't until after I killed them that I learned the truth."

A quiet, broken laugh that was more of a shuddering exhale left the teen. "I-I miss them _so much_."

Sasuke dropped back on his pillow and turned away from the teen. His hands balled up his blanket because he'd gotten his answer. The regret, the _agony_ , in the teen's voice said it all.

Nothing was worth such misery.

* * *

The next morning the teen was back to his usual self, glowering at Sasuke and everyone who came within ten feet of him. The preteen wondered if he really looked that sullen all of the time, and if so, he kind of understood why Naruto wanted to punch him. Sasuke kind of wanted to punch himself too.

The teen glanced his way like he sensed Sasuke's thoughts while the proctor Anko explained to the crowd of genin in the field the rules for the second exam. Sasuke listened carefully, not wanting to miss anything vital, but he also kept an eye on his future self.

The teen had seemed tense this morning, and Sasuke thought it was just awkwardness over their conversation last night, but the older boy had become even tenser the closer they got to the training field where the second exam was taking place.

Now the older Uchiha was scanning the crowd, his hand lingering by his sword, until his gaze fell on a woman behind them wearing a straw hat. Wasn't that the woman with the long tongue?

"Don't look at her."

Sasuke turned up to see his future self staring at Anko, though he side-eyed the twelve-year old as he said, "You'll make her suspicious."

Sasuke heard the seriousness in his tone, so kept his gaze away from the long-tongued woman until the proctor dismissed them, giving the genin time to sign their consent forms. Sakura wandered from him with a worried frown and Naruto walked off muttering about the crazy proctor who cut his face while Sasuke went to sit by a large boulder.

He was studying the other genin around him, trying to assess who might be a threat, when the teen said, "I'm leaving."

Sasuke's heart jumped to his throat as he looked up to the teen staring down at him. "There's no reason for me to go through the Forest of Death again." The preteen calmed, realizing his older self didn't mean he was leaving permanently. "So I need you to activate the bond extension seal."

The teen unwrapped the bandages around his waist and unzipped his shirt to reveal a seal inked on his stomach. "It shouldn't require much chakra."

Sasuke nodded, raising his hand and lightly pressing his chakra-laced fingers onto the seal's central spiral. The ink flared a bright blue, but the flash was brief and since they were behind a boulder, Sasuke doubted anyone noticed while he pulled away.

Though he did see a red-headed girl loitering by the forest's chainlink fence look up from the form in her hands and glance around like she sensed something. Hm, a sensor-type?

"This better work." The teen zipped his shirt back up as he stalked away, but Sasuke reached for him.

"Wait." His future self stopped and stared over his shoulder. "When will you be back?"

"Whenever the seal wears off." The teen thought about it. "So probably tomorrow." His eyes suddenly narrowed and he turned to face Sasuke fully. "I survived this exam, which means you can too."

Sasuke blinked as the teen said, "When your in there, don't ever question if your taking the same actions I did." He closed his eyes. "It doesn't matter what decisions I made because it's possible you'll encounter enemies and obstacles I didn't, so just trust your instincts." His eyes flashed dangerously. "And do not get us _killed_."

The teen left before Sasuke could find his voice, and the preteen frowned as the other Uchiha faded into the distance. It felt wrong not having his other self around after constantly being in his presence for weeks.

However, Sasuke shook off the feeling while he headed towards the booth set up by the fence. His teammates found him within minutes, the kunoichi holding her head high and the blond grinning eagerly.

They had just gotten in line to receive their scroll when Sakura noticed their missing companion. "Wait, where's Uchiha-san?"

"He left," Sasuke said, refusing to look at her.

"Left!?" Naruto's eyes popped open and he looked around frantically. "But we need him!"

Sasuke glared. "No, we don't."

Naruto stomped his foot, glowering back. "Yes, we do! He can use a sword and his jutsu is cooler than your—"

"Shut up, teme!" Sasuke snarled and Naruto's hands balled up. "Complaining won't change anything." He turned to glare at the ground. "Besides, he'll rejoin us tomorrow."

Naruto's eyes fluttered. "Oh." His brow twitched irritatedly. "Why didn't you say that sooner!?" He threw up his hands. "You made me worry for nothing, Baka-suke!"

Sasuke ignored him, unwilling to get into a fight now, and Naruto simmered down as they traded their consent forms for a Heaven scroll.

Soon the Uchiha stood confidently alongside his teammates as they waited in front of the tall forest gate while the proctor removed the entrance's lock. Sasuke was certain he could survive whatever he would encounter in the Forest of Death, especially since his future self had survived and Sasuke was even stronger than he'd been at his age.

Besides, Sasuke couldn’t die until he killed a certain man, as well as that Danzō.

* * *

The teenage Uchiha made it ten meters past the Academy before he felt the bond tug at him. He stopped there on the dirt road, unwilling to risk going further since his younger self was probably delving deeper into the Forest of Death, and therefore, would be stretching his side of their bond soon.

Sasuke scowled, laying his palm over his stomach as he felt his chakra seeping into the seal. Fortunately the drain was minimal, meaning he could still use his regular ninjutsu while having the seal activated. However, it might become an issue if he left the seal on too long, and deactivating the seal right before a fight would also be a problem since the bond's length would shrink and might not give him or his younger self room to unleash jutsu.

The teen grit his teeth, but at least he was figuring out the seal's limitations now, so he could plan around them.

A bird cry made Sasuke look up to see a crow flying out towards the public training grounds, and though it was just a regular animal, it reminded Sasuke of the message he had sent to Itachi. He'd tried summoning Garuda this morning, but the hawk didn't appear, which meant he was still out there searching for Itachi.

Sasuke couldn't care less if his brother actually knew how to reverse the time-space seal, though knowing how long he'd be in the past would be helpful. Really, the teen had just wanted to give his brother an excuse to come back to Konoha since he couldn't guarantee Itachi would return to the Village like he had in the past, considering there would be _no_ Konohagakure after the Exam.

Yet he would need Itachi's help to build a new Village, and even if his brother was upset by Konoha's destruction at first, Sasuke knew he'd get over it because when it had came to protecting his little brother, Itachi hadn't allowed morality to stop him from doing what was necessary. And now Sasuke was going to do the same.

* * *

Team 7 didn't last forty minutes before they were attacked.

Sasuke nudged the Ame-nin who had henged into Naruto with his foot, and when the man's only response was to give a weak groan through his breathing mask, the Uchiha deemed him no longer a threat.

"What should we do with him?" Sakura asked, sounding uncertain as she wrung her hands over her heart.

"We could kill him." Naruto and Sakura's eyes widened while Sasuke sighed, not liking that option either. "Or we could just leave him here."

They quickly decided to let him live, Sasuke using his ninja wire to tie the foreign shinobi to a tree trunk while Naruto searched the man's body for supplies. The Uchiha expected to get some extra shuriken and kunai off the Ame-nin, which they did alongside a couple of food pills and granola bars, but what Sasuke didn't expect was for Naruto to release a jubilant cry and hold up a Heaven scroll.

Though it was the same scroll as theirs, they took it so that would be one less team likely to reach the tower. Also, they could perhaps trade it with another group to obtain the Earth scroll.

Team 7 soon moved on, finding a niche between the giant tree roots to rest under while Sasuke determined they needed to make a password so they could identify their teammates whenever they got separated.

"The chance to sneak up when a large number of enemies are making a scene. The quiet place has no secret hideout. It is important for a shinobi to know the right time. The time when an enemy is tired and drops his guard," the Uchiha provided the code.

Sakura nodded while Naruto, face wrinkled in confusion, asked, "Could you say it again?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "You couldn't memorize it, could you?"

She scowled and Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "O-of course I did! I just wanted to be sure..." He trailed off nervously while the girl looked ready to pound him.

Sasuke ignored their antics and stood. "I'll carry one of the scrolls."

"Hey, wait, Sasuke— Ow!" Naruto grasped his cheek as a wood splitter sliced across his face. "What was that?"

The wind howled, picking up around them and making the giant flora nearby tremble. Sasuke turned towards a large tree hollow ahead, peering into its dark recesses right as a strong breeze rushed out of it.

Sakura gasped and Naruto yelped while the wind intensified, kicking up dirt and twigs from the floor and chucking them towards the genin.

"Another enemy?" The Uchiha raised his arms in front of his face, struggling to breathe as the tempest pressed down on him from every angle and hissing when a couple of stones rammed into his ankles.

He heard a yell and turned to see the wind sweeping Naruto back, sending the boy flying into the air, but as Sasuke called his name, the wind struck him with the force of a stone wall and the ground shattered beneath him.

Sasuke was thrown up, his back crashing into a thick tree limb. He choked on the pain, yet managed to reorient himself as he fell and landed in a crouch.

"You guys go play around."

The preteen tensed at the feminine voice, and quickly dove under a nearby bush. He covertly brushed aside the leaves to observe three Grass shinobi standing in front of the tree hollow, recognizing the one in the middle as the woman with the long tongue.

The Uchiha slipped a kunai into his hand, straining to listen in while the woman said, "I'll go alone."

Sasuke would have thought she was being arrogant for sending her teammates away, but remembered his future self cautioning him about the woman. Had she attacked the older Uchiha during his Exam just like she was doing to Sasuke now?

The preteen shook his head. No, he shouldn't question it. His future self warned him not to wonder if he was following the same path the teen had. If he did, Sasuke could get distracted and may very well be killed.

A twig snapped behind him and Sasuke lurched out of the bush, kunai raised, but stilled at the familiar face. "Sakura!" He whisper-shouted to avoid being heard, and frowning once he saw the thin cuts in the girl's dress and the bruises forming on her skin.

The kunoichi beamed. "Sasuke-kun!" She ran to hug him, but Sasuke raised his kunai higher.

"Don't come closer!" He glared, ignoring the girl's betrayed expression. "First, the password..."

Sakura's expression eased. "Ah! Umm... The chance to sneak up when a large number of enemies are making a scene..."

She recited the ninja song perfectly and Sasuke lowered his kunai. Yet he brought it right back up when a yelp resounded from a shrub on his left.

"Hey, everyone," Naruto came stumbling out of the bush, shaking off twigs from his hair and looking as beaten up as his teammates. "Are you alright?

Sasuke's grip tensed on the kunai as he examined the blond for flaws in case he was a henged enemy while Sakura raised her hand. "Naruto, wait. The password..."

"Oh, I know..." Naruto gave a sunny grin and then perfectly recited. "The chance to sneak up when a large number of enemies are making a scene..."

"Hn." Sasuke smirked before throwing his kunai at the fake Naruto's head.

The imposter swiftly threw himself to the side to dodge, landing awkwardly on the floor. "What are you doing!?" The 'Naruto' cried with large eyes.

"This time it's one who can dodge my attack, huh?" Sasuke brandished another kunai.

"What are you saying, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura demanded, voice pitched with confusion. "Naruto got the password right."

"That's the problem." The Uchiha kept his eyes on the enemy as he asked, "Do you really think that guy can remember a password that long?" Sakura gasped, realization dawning on her face. "If we asked the normal Naruto what the password is, what do you think he'd say?"

Sakura, gaze hardening as she looked towards the enemy, answered. "Sorry, I've forgotten it." 

The fake Naruto's shocked expression gradually drew into a neutral look that looked wrong on the typically cheerful Uzumaki, and Sasuke's face darkened. "Show your true self already, fake!"

The imposter smirked, chuckling lowly as he licked his lips. "That's how it is, huh?"

Sasuke shifted into a defensive position while smoke burst around the imposter, and upon clearing, revealed the woman with the long tongue. "But if you knew he couldn't remember it," she glared at them from under her straw hat, "Why didn't you make the password shorter?"

"I knew you were underground eavesdropping on our conversation." Sasuke smirked to cover up his nerves because something was off with the woman. The way she spoke and moved, it felt unnatural.

The Grass shinobi removed her hat, letting it fall to the ground. "Oh, really," she sounded amused, “So you're not tired. This will be more fun than I thought." Her eyes narrowed, surveying the area behind Sasuke. "But where is that cousin of yours?"

Sasuke didn't respond and the woman chuckled. "Protecting him, huh?" Her tongue peeked out and she licked her lips like a ravenous predator. "That's fine, I'm certain he'll come running once he hears his little cousin crying for help."

Sasuke's eyes widened while the woman's gaze bored into his. "Well, let's begin now!"

Suddenly the air simmered and it was as if a paper bomb exploded in Sasuke's face, searing his skin while a thousand kunai struck his organs and bones. Blood bubbled in his lungs, ash filled his nose—he couldn't _breathe_!—and a kunai drilled straight through his skull.

Sasuke was dead, _dying_ , he couldn't tell. It was like he weighed nothing, was a mere _ghost_ , as he dropped to the forest floor. He stared at the dirt, certain he was dead, dead, _dead_.

Yet, the longer he stared, the more Sasuke realized there was no blood staining his clothes and clearly no blade was in his head if he could still think. So a genjutsu?

Bile ran up his throat before he could identify what had attacked him, and he collapsed onto his hands and knees as he threw up.

Sasuke sucked in a sharp breath once he was done and tried to push himself into a stand, but his eyes met the woman's and he fell back on his trembling arms. His heart was racing and something primal inside him screamed he was near death. No, this wasn't genjutsu. It was a thirst for _blood_. And what type of person could bring a shinobi to their knees with a mere _look_?

Sasuke suddenly remembered his companion and turned. "Sa...kura?"

The Uchiha gaped at the sight of the pink-haired girl sitting in the grass, trembling, pale, and green eyes wide with horror while tears streamed down her face. She was clearly still incapacitated by the woman's bloodlust.

Not good. They had to flee or else...

Sasuke faced the Grass shinobi and sweat dripped down his forehead as he saw the deadly intent in her eyes.

The Grass-nin laughed. "Can't move already?" She stepped forward and Sasuke's shifted back as much as his trembling body would allow. Move...move...move!

Sasuke fought to get his frozen limbs to obey him.

Move...move...move...move...

He watched his hand slide painfully slow towards his kunai holster.

Move...move...move!

Sasuke saw his trembling fingers grasp the kunai and pull it out.

Move...even if it's just a little... _move!_

He forced himself to rise, feeling weak as a newborn while the woman cocked her head. "What do you intend to do with that?"

Sasuke barely registered the taunt as another wave of killing intent knocked into him and his limbs locked up. No, no, no!

The Grass shinobi stalked closer, holding two kunai in her hand. "Don't worry," she said emotionlessly. "I'll end this in a second."

Sasuke struggled to move, but his body wouldn't budge and the woman was raising her kunai, preparing to kill him and Sakura. "A shame, I would have liked to have a spare Uchiha."

The preteen barely heard her as she flung the kunai towards his forehead and Sasuke couldn't die. Not without seeing that _man_ dead, and not while that Danzō got to live!

Sasuke stabbed his kunai into his leg, the blood spraying through the air as his sharingan blazed to life and pain shot off from the wound to electrify his whole body. He used the adrenaline rush to spin aside, grab Sakura and dodge the kunai before leaping up high into the trees.

He didn't stop for minutes or hours, didn't stop until he landed on a large tree branch and his injured leg collapsed under him.

Sasuke deactivated his sharingan, sitting Sakura in front of him before falling back against the tree trunk. Breath shuddering, he didn't hesitate to grab the kunai in his thigh and brace himself for pain.

"Sasuke-kun?"

The preteen didn't look up as he tore the blade out, gritting his teeth at the burning sensation that sparked in his leg while Sakura gasped.

"Sasuke-kun! Are you alright—"

He slapped his hand over the girl's mouth, turning back to gaze at the other trees because that Grass-nin was probably already close by. But how could they flee? How should they escape—

Sasuke suddenly recalled how his future self leapt onto that giant hawk and shot off into the sky after Sasuke summoned him. That was it. He could summon a hawk just large enough to carry him and Sakur—

The kunoichi tore his hand off her mouth and screamed. "Sasuke-kun, a snake!"

The Uchiha's head snapped up to see an enormous serpent opening its jaw and his sharingan flared as he and Sakura leapt off the tree while the snake chomped down on the branch.

He saw Sakura land on a tree limb below him while the snake slithered up a tree trunk, its inhuman gaze targeting Sasuke before it lunged at him.

The Uchiha screamed because he didn't want to die, didn't want to become just an empty thing staring sightlessly ahead with his face forever twisted in terror. Like the bodies in the Uchiha district, like his parents at Itachi's feet. No, no, no, _no_!

Sasuke tore out six shuriken and flung them into the creature's throat. "Stay away!"

The snake reared back as Sasuke's weapons struck its mouth and the reptile gave a thunderous hiss as it collapsed, its head dropping lifelessly onto a tree branch.

Sasuke landed on a branch above it, watching the blood stream out from the serpent's body. Yet he got no relief as the snake's skin bulged, cracking like an egg until something tall and lanky broke through it. Sasuke thought it was another snake until he saw the Grass headband and realized it was the woman rising from the fissure, slime dripping off her body.

"You shouldn't let your guard down, not even for a moment." The woman smirked and Sasuke's heart stopped. "A prey must always stay tense and try to flee desperately..." Her tongue slid out of her mouth. "Before a predator."

The woman's body elongated and she wound around the tree so fast Sasuke blinked and then she was right in front of him, springing at him like a rattlesnake.

The Uchiha yelled in terror, jerking back when kunai and shuriken sliced through the air, stopping the woman from coming closer.

"Sorry, Sasuke!"

The Uchiha looked up towards the canopy of trees and could just make out Naruto standing on one of the mossy branches.

"The password... I forgot it!" The blond grinned confidently.

"That's alright, Naruto!" Sakura called, relief shimmering in her eyes.

However, Sasuke's heart dropped and he shouted. "Naruto! I know you're trying to be cool and rescue us, but don't get involved! Just run!" His voice cracked with terror. "She— She's on a much different level!"

Sasuke's fear spiked as the snakelike woman turned towards the blond. "Seems like you brought that giant snake down brilliantly, Naruto-kun."

The Uzumaki's face scrunched up, but he gave no signs he would leave, and that idiot was going to get himself killed if he didn't run. Sasuke had to do something!

The Uchiha patted himself down, hand briefly straying towards the Heaven scroll, yet he quickly moved on. The woman didn't seem interested in the scrolls.

Sasuke kept searching, but all he had was some kunai, shuriken, ninja wire, a food pill—

The Uchiha stopped, holding the pebble-sized pill in his hand. The food pill they got off the Ame-nin, it could replenish chakra when one's reserves were low, but since his chakra was full, it would instead temporarily increase his chakra reserves.

Sasuke looked up to make sure the woman was still focusing on Naruto, and when he saw she was, he tossed back the pill and swallowed it whole.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Naruto shook his fist at the woman while the Uchiha waited anxiously for the pill to take effect. "You've been bullying the weakling, but now that Uzumaki Naruto is here, I'm going to wipe the floor with you!"

Sasuke's stomach rumbled, and he clutched his abdomen, stifling a surprised cry as a warm sensation filled his belly and rapidly spread across the rest of his body. This was it!

His hands flew through the five signs and he yanked all of his chakra into his palm. The Grass shinobi noticed, whipping back to him as he slammed his hand on the tree branch. "Summoning Jutsu!"

A smoke plume taller than Sasuke exploded beneath him and the preteen heard Sakura shout his name while his feet sunk into plush feathers.

"What's this?" The Grass ninja cocked a brow once the smoke cleared to reveal Sasuke standing on a giant hawk—Garuda, wasn't it?

"Get us out of here!" Sasuke ordered, though it proved unnecessary as the large bird had already risen and was soaring towards Sakura.

"Hawk summons? You're such remarkable prey, Sasuke-kun."

The Uchiha ignored the woman while his hawk hovered beside Sakura and the girl leapt onto its back, nearly falling off until Sasuke caught her hand and pulled her closer.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said, cheeks pinkish.

He didn't respond as Garuda glided up towards Naruto, the blond gawking at them until Sasuke growled. "Hurry up, baka!"

Naruto shook his head. "I'm coming!" He sprung off the branch, plunging towards them.

Yet a strong wind erupted around the genin and the blond gave a shout as he was thrown to the side.

"Naruto!" Sakura and Sasuke yelled while Garuda teetered in the air, struggling not to be sucked into the whirlwind.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Sasuke looked down, holding up an arm to shield his eyes and gaping at the giant snake rising up fast from the smoke beneath them. The woman was on top of its head, smirking as she drew closer to them.

"Look out!" Sasuke warned while Garuda flapped his wings desperately to fly them out of the tornado.

"Maybe you're not worthy, but if I can't have your cousin, I will have you."

The woman's neck suddenly stretched like an elastic band and shot up towards the Uchiha.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura reached for him, but froze as a paralysis jutsu snapped close around her and Sasuke.

Therefore, the boy could only watch with wide eyes while the woman's mouth opened, her fangs bared and face only a foot away—

Black fire burst before Sasuke and the woman screeched, flames engulfing her face.

Her neck zipped back down and the woman clawed at her skin, burning her own hands in an attempt to stifle the flames as what looked like strips of plastic fell off from her, the pieces burning to ash in the black fire while the tornado wind died away.

"What is this?" The woman's voice shook, pitch strangely deeper and more masculine as she looked up with wide yellow eyes and a chalk white face, appearing nothing like she had a second ago.

However, Sasuke could only watch as the black fire swiftly spread to the trees surrounding the Grass shinobi until the woman and her snake were encircled by the raging flames.

"No..." The Grass-nin gaped in horror as she gazed upwards.

Sasuke fought the paralysis and just managed to tilt his head enough to see what the woman was looking at.

The Uchiha's mouth parted, the air leaving his lungs as he stared at the tree branch where a dark-haired figure stood, his black high-collar partially obscuring his face.

Yet Sasuke knew those blood red eyes, recognized that man before he said, "Orochimaru."

The twelve-year old shivered as that deep voice echoed through the air and Sasuke suddenly felt small and weak, like he was seven-years old again and watching his parents die over and over. So when Itachi's cold sharingan eyes fell on him, Sasuke dropped to his knees and screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, we're officially halfway through the story! Half because it's probably going to end up being ten chapters, but I refuse to admit it until we reach chapter seven 😅
> 
> Thanks for all your comments and support! I hope this was a fun read :)
> 
> Next time: Younger!Sasuke deals with seeing Itachi again and Older!Sasuke puts some plans into motion...
> 
> Stay safe, everyone!


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